What I'd do is look up the assessment record for the property you want to rent and use that to research the owner and owner address. Does the person even live in the state? I'd be reluctant to rent from someone who's not around. Is it a name you can connect to a management company, and can you find information on that management company? Run the name or any name associated closely with the owner or a company through Google and the RI court system. Eviction hearings can give you other properties the owner might have, can check on those, see how they're being managed (or not).