Newport Avenue Apartments in East Providence is one of five housing complexes owned by A.R. Building Co. in Rhode Island. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current)
A national real estate company will have to pay back nearly $100,000 in fees charged to local residents who applied to live at any of its Rhode Island housing properties under a settlement announced Thursday by the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General.
The agreement comes four months after the AG’s office sued A.R. Building Co. in state Superior Court, alleging the Philadelphia company violated consumer protection laws by forcing prospective tenants to pay “excessive” application and screening fees…