§ 45-24.3-6 - Responsibilities of owners and occupants.
SECTION 45-24.3-6
§ 45-24.3-6 Responsibilities of owners andoccupants. – (a) No owner or operator or other person shall occupy, or let to anotherperson, any vacant dwelling, dwelling unit, or structure unless it and thepremises are clean, sanitary, fit for human occupancy, and comply with thischapter and all applicable legal requirements of the state and the corporateunit.
(b) Every owner of a multiple dwelling is responsible formaintaining, in a clean and sanitary condition, the shared or public areas ofthe dwelling and premises. Occupants of two (2) and three (3) family dwellingsshall share the maintenance of clean and sanitary conditions within the sharedor public areas of the dwelling and premises.
(c) Every occupant of a dwelling, dwelling unit, or structureshall maintain in a clean sanitary condition that part or those parts of thedwelling, dwelling unit, or structure and premises that the occupant occupiesand controls.
(d) Every occupant of a dwelling, dwelling unit, or structureshall dispose of all his or her rubbish in a clean, sanitary, and safe manner.
(e) Every occupant of a dwelling, dwelling unit, or structureshall dispose of all his or her garbage and any other organic waste which mightprovide food for insects and/or rodents in a clean, sanitary, and safe manner,and if a container is used for storage pending collection it shall be rodentproof, insect proof, and watertight.
(f) Every owner or operator of a dwelling containing four (4)or more dwelling units shall supply facilities or containers for the sanitaryand safe storage and/or disposal of rubbish and garbage. In the case of single,two (2) or three (3) family dwellings and structures it is the responsibilityof the occupant to furnish those facilities or refuse containers.
(g) The owner of a dwelling, dwelling unit, or structure isresponsible for providing and hanging all screens and double or storm doors andwindows where used for ventilation whenever they are required under theprovisions of this chapter or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to thischapter, except where there is a written agreement between the owner andoccupant. In the absence of an agreement, maintenance or replacement ofscreens, and storm doors and windows, once installed in any one season, becomethe responsibility of the occupant.
(h) The owner of a dwelling or dwelling unit is responsiblefor the providing and hanging of shades or other devices on every window ofevery room used for sleeping and for every room equipped with a flush watercloset or bathtub, affording privacy to persons within those rooms. Onceinstalled in any one rental by the owner, replacements become theresponsibility of the occupant.
(i) Every occupant of a dwelling containing a single dwellingunit and every occupant of a structure is responsible for the extermination ofany insects, rodents, or other pests therein or on the premises. Every occupantof a dwelling unit, in a dwelling containing more than one dwelling unit, isresponsible for this extermination whenever his or her dwelling is the only oneinfected. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this subsection, wheneverinfestation is caused by a failure of the owner to maintain a dwelling in arodent-proof or reasonably insect-proof condition, extermination is theresponsibility of the owner. Whenever infestation exists in two (2) or more ofthe dwelling units in any dwelling, or in the shared or public parts of anydwelling containing two (2) or more dwelling units, extermination is theresponsibility of the owner.
(j) Every occupant of a dwelling unit or structure shall keepall supplied plumbing fixtures and facilities in a clean and sanitarycondition, and is responsible for the exercise of reasonable care in theirproper use and operation.
(k) No owner or occupant of a dwelling, dwelling unit, orstructure shall accumulate or permit the accumulation of rubbish, boxes,lumber, scrap metal, or any other materials in a manner that may provide arodent harborage in or about any dwelling, dwelling unit, or structure. Storedmaterials shall be stacked neatly in piles elevated at least eighteen inches(18") above the ground or floor. The provisions of this subsection do not applyto firewood or kindling wood stored in or about any dwelling, dwelling unit, orstructure by the owner or occupant of that property; provided, that the wood isstored for use within the dwelling, dwelling unit or structure, unlessprohibited by town or city ordinance.