New Hampshire landlord-tenant law.

Security deposits

Deposit limit. 1 month's rent or $100, whichever is greater, for most rentals (RSA 540-A:6); a single family detached home can be exempted from the cap, and the equivalent-of-one-month rule also applies when rent is paid quarterly or less often

Getting it back. Must be held in trust, not commingled with landlord funds, and returned within 30 days of lease termination with an itemized list of damage deductions (RSA 540-A:7); interest must be paid annually if a deposit is held 1 year or longer

Late fees and rent

No statutory cap on late fee amount and no mandatory statewide grace period found in RSA 540-A or RSA 540; landlords should set a reasonable fee in the lease and cannot use self help penalties like utility shutoffs (RSA 540-A:3)

Ending a tenancy

Nonpayment of rent. 7 days' written notice to quit for nonpayment of rent, stating the arrearage and the tenant's right to avoid eviction by paying it (RSA 540:3); for other lease violations on restricted property, cure/notice periods vary

Month-to-month termination. 30 days' written notice to quit to end a month to month or at will tenancy without cause (RSA 540:2, RSA 540:3); note a 2026 amendment adds a 60 day advance notice requirement tied to lease expiration for certain tenancies effective July 1, 2026, so confirm current text before relying on the shorter figure

Landlord entry

No fixed number of days is set by statute; landlords must give reasonable notice adequate under the circumstances before non-emergency entry, and may enter without notice only for emergencies (RSA 540-A:3); bed bug inspections of adjacent units specifically require 48 hours notice

Required disclosures

• Federal lead based paint disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. 4852d, 24 CFR Part 35)
• Landlord or agent's name and address for notices and access (RSA 540-A:4)
• Any nonrefundable fee must be disclosed as such in writing before it is collected (RSA 540-A:6)

Lease clauses that do not hold up

• Clauses waiving the tenant's right to notice or judicial process before eviction (self help lockouts, utility shutoffs, or seizure of belongings are void under RSA 540-A:3)
• Security deposit terms exceeding the statutory cap of one month's rent or $100, whichever is greater (RSA 540-A:6)
• Deposit return periods longer than the 30 day statutory deadline (RSA 540-A:7)
• Waivers of the implied warranty of habitability or of the housing code protections in RSA 48-A

Notes for landlords

New Hampshire's core landlord-tenant and security deposit rules sit in RSA 540 (eviction/notice) and RSA 540-A (prohibited practices and deposits); self help eviction (lockouts, utility cutoffs) is a specific criminal-adjacent violation, not just a civil one. Watch for the July 1, 2026 amendment to RSA 540:2/540:3 that adds a 60 day notice tied to lease expiration for some tenancies; confirm the current statute text before configuring notice periods in the product.

Sources

• https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LV/540-A/540-A-6.htm
• https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LV/540-A/540-A-3.htm
• https://law.justia.com/codes/new-hampshire/title-lv/chapter-540-a/section-540-a-6/
• https://www.flagmylease.com/tenant-rights/new-hampshire
• https://www.leaselenses.com/blog/new-hampshire-landlord-tenant-law-guide/
• https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/new-hampshire-security-deposit-returns