In court-decided eviction outcomes for Narragansett Pier, RI, tenants prevail in roughly 45.0% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
112d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Narragansett Pier, RI until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 112 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$5.8-13.6k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Narragansett Pier, RI costs landlords $5,824 to $13,619 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,649
41% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Narragansett Pier, RI is $1,649 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 41% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
37.5%
of households
37.5% of occupied housing units in Narragansett Pier, RI are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
14.4%
7.4% unemp.
14.4% of Narragansett Pier, RI residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 7.4%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +15.0% (2024)
6.4
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.4
State political climate
Rhode Island legislature & governorship
5.5
Economic stress
14.4% poverty · 7.4% unemp.
7.3
Supply constraint
$1,649 average · 37.5% renters
8.5
Rent Control risk
41.0% of income on rent
9.5
Eviction process difficulty
112 days filing → judgment
4.8
Tenant organizing strength
37.5% renters
8.1
Housing court bias
County bench composition
8.1
Geographic context
Risk heat across Narragansett Pier and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Narragansett Pier compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Washington County
Low
#10of 15 cities
#10 of 15 cities in Washington County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Rhode Island
Very Low
#31of 36 cities
#31 of 36 cities in Rhode Island for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.3
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 5.3/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+3.1 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
112d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,649/mo. A contested eviction takes 112 days and costs $5,824-$13,619 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
37.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 3,167 residents, 37.5% rent. 41% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 14.4% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.4
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.4 and 6.4 (Dem margin +15.0% (2024)). State climate at 5.5, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
5.5
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 5.5/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 4.8, housing court bias 8.1, rent-control risk 9.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-0.2 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
7.3
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 7.3. Supply constraint: 8.5. The numbers behind those: 14.4% poverty, 7.4% unemployment, 41% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Narragansett Pier sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Narragansett Pier · 112d · ~$9.7k all-in ($87/day) · score 5.3National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0-4 4-7 7-10
Landlording in Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.3/10 (MODERATE tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Narragansett Pier is a city of 3,167 residents where 37.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 41.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,649/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Narragansett Pier eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 4.8/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Narragansett Pier closes 112 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Narragansett Pier's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 8.1/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Narragansett Pier runs $5,824 to $13,619 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1-2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 112 days of typical timeline and $1,649/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 8.1/10 in Narragansett Pier, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (9.5/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Rhode Island, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Narragansett Pier: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a MODERATE tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Rhode Island's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $13,619 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Narragansett Pier
Trap · 19.4 POINTS
Politically, Washington County voted Democratic by 19.4 points in 2020, a baseline that correlates with tenant-protective legislative pressure. Combined with 41.0% rent-to-income ratio, expect baseline enforcement of R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, state-level (no county tracker available). Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 503 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.88× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 6,531 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 39,556.
503Past month
6,531Past 12 months
0.88×vs baseline (past mo)
20.3%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least five days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: $101 filing fee on average.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 - 2026-04-01
Filings stayed roughly flat over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my Narragansett Pier tenant pays partial rent after the 5-day notice?
Do NOT accept partial rent unless you have a written agreement stating that accepting the payment does not waive your right to proceed with the eviction. If you accept partial rent without such an agreement, you've likely invalidated your 5-day notice, and you'll have to serve a new one and start the clock over. This is a common and costly mistake.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant in Narragansett Pier for reasons other than non-payment?
Yes. Rhode Island does not have a statewide "just-cause" eviction requirement. You can terminate a month-to-month tenancy with a 30-day notice without stating a specific reason, as long as it's not discriminatory or retaliatory. For lease violations other than non-payment, your lease should specify the notice period required to cure the violation before you can proceed with eviction. Always consult your attorney for non-payment evictions.
Q3
How long does it typically take to get a court date in Narragansett Pier?
After filing your Summons and Complaint for Eviction, it can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to get your initial court hearing, sometimes longer depending on court backlog. This is just the first step in the 112-day average timeline. Be prepared for delays and continuances, especially if the tenant gets legal representation.
Q4
What if my tenant abandons the property in Narragansett Pier?
If you believe a tenant has abandoned the property, you must follow specific legal procedures before taking possession. Simply changing the locks could lead to serious legal trouble. You generally need to send an abandonment notice and wait a specified period. Consult an attorney before assuming abandonment and re-entering the unit. This is covered under Rhode Island tenant protections.
Q5
Should I offer a lease or month-to-month tenancy in Narragansett Pier?
For stability and predictability, a fixed-term lease is generally better. It locks in rent and provides a clear end date. A month-to-month tenancy offers more flexibility for both parties but also means you can lose a tenant with just 30 days' notice, or they can leave you with a vacancy. Given the high rent-to-income ratio and potential for tenant issues, a solid lease agreement is usually the safer bet.
A 5.3/10 places Narragansett Pier in the 17th percentile of Rhode Island cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Narragansett Pier (5.3/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
