How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in New Hampshire?

No more than one month's rent or $100, whichever is greater. The cap comes from N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:6, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.

What does a New Hampshire landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the New Hampshire checklist has four items: a signed receipt stating the deposit amount and where it is held, with written notice that the Tenant has five days after moving in to report existing damage; a copy of the signed Lease within 30 days after all parties sign; and any known methamphetamine production on the Premises that has not been remediated to state standards. The other one are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which New Hampshire statutes does this lease cite?

N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:6, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:7, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:3, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540:3 and N.H. Rev. Stat. 540:11, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this New Hampshire lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the New Hampshire statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with New Hampshire landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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New Hampshire Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in New Hampshire. The deposit, notice, entry and disclosure clauses follow New Hampshire statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Page one of the New Hampshire Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

New Hampshire rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No more than one month's rent or $100, whichever is greater
Deposit return: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord returns the deposit with any interest due and a written, itemized list of any damage beyond ordinary wear, unpaid rent, or other lawful charges deducted, with receipts, estimates, or other proof of each repair.
Where the deposit is kept: The deposit stays the Tenant's money, held in trust in a New Hampshire bank, savings and loan, or credit union account separate from the Landlord's personal funds, or covered by a bond filed with the city or town, and a deposit held one year or longer earns interest at that institution's regular savings rate, paid to the Tenant.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice; the Landlord ends one with a written notice to quit of at least 30 days, or seven days for nonpayment, substantial damage, or conduct affecting health or safety, and for restricted property only for a reason the statute lists, such as nonpayment, substantial damage, a material lease violation, or other good cause.
Landlord entry: The Landlord enters only with the Tenant's prior consent, requested at a reasonable time after notice that is adequate under the circumstances, except to make emergency repairs or to address a rodent or insect infestation, including bed bugs, within 72 hours of learning of it.
Disclosures: 5 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Statutes: N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:6, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:7, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:3, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540:3, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540:11. Read the New Hampshire statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in New Hampshire

Pick New Hampshire and four parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, the entry clause and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the New Hampshire statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Start with the deposit. New Hampshire caps it at one month's rent or $100, whichever is greater, and the statute also says where the money sits while the tenant lives there. The return rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept, sends the deposit back with interest and leaves ordinary wear out of the deductions.

Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy is not symmetrical in New Hampshire; the two sides give different notice. The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice. That is the short half; the full rule, with every period and condition, is quoted in the questions below.

Before coming in, the landlord gives notice, and New Hampshire puts a number on it. The Landlord enters only with the Tenant's prior consent, requested at a reasonable time after notice that is adequate under the circumstances, except to make emergency repairs or to address a rodent or insect infestation, including bed bugs, within 72 hours of learning of it.

The disclosures checklist carries four New Hampshire items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them a copy of the signed Lease within 30 days after all parties sign, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

This row notes no city or county overlay for New Hampshire; if the property is in a city with its own rental ordinance, check it before signing. The state clauses follow five sections of New Hampshire law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the New Hampshire clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for New Hampshire, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord returns the deposit with any interest due and a written, itemized list of any damage beyond ordinary wear, unpaid rent, or other lawful charges deducted, with receipts, estimates, or other proof of each repair. The deposit may not exceed one month's rent or $100, whichever is greater. The deposit stays the Tenant's money, held in trust in a New Hampshire bank, savings and loan, or credit union account separate from the Landlord's personal funds, or covered by a bond filed with the city or town, and a deposit held one year or longer earns interest at that institution's regular savings rate, paid to the Tenant.

Entry

The Landlord enters only with the Tenant's prior consent, requested at a reasonable time after notice that is adequate under the circumstances, except to make emergency repairs or to address a rodent or insect infestation, including bed bugs, within 72 hours of learning of it.

Ending the lease and default

The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice; the Landlord ends one with a written notice to quit of at least 30 days, or seven days for nonpayment, substantial damage, or conduct affecting health or safety, and for restricted property only for a reason the statute lists, such as nonpayment, substantial damage, a material lease violation, or other good cause. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice New Hampshire law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
A signed receipt stating the deposit amount and where it is held, with written notice that the Tenant has five days after moving in to report existing damage (N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:6)
A copy of the signed Lease within 30 days after all parties sign (N.H. Rev. Stat. 477:7-b)
Any known methamphetamine production on the Premises that has not been remediated to state standards (N.H. Rev. Stat. 477:4-g)
Any known public utility tariff charge on the Premises for energy-efficiency or renewable-energy improvements (N.H. Rev. Stat. 477:4-h)

Footer of the PDF: New Hampshire clauses follow N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:6, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:7, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:3, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540:3, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540:11 as read on 2026-10-23.

New Hampshire lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in New Hampshire?: No more than one month's rent or $100, whichever is greater. The cap comes from N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:6, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.
When does the security deposit come back in New Hampshire?: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord returns the deposit with any interest due and a written, itemized list of any damage beyond ordinary wear, unpaid rent, or other lawful charges deducted, with receipts, estimates, or other proof of each repair.
Where does a New Hampshire landlord keep the deposit?: The deposit stays the Tenant's money, held in trust in a New Hampshire bank, savings and loan, or credit union account separate from the Landlord's personal funds, or covered by a bond filed with the city or town, and a deposit held one year or longer earns interest at that institution's regular savings rate, paid to the Tenant.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in New Hampshire?: The Tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice; the Landlord ends one with a written notice to quit of at least 30 days, or seven days for nonpayment, substantial damage, or conduct affecting health or safety, and for restricted property only for a reason the statute lists, such as nonpayment, substantial damage, a material lease violation, or other good cause.
How much notice does a New Hampshire landlord give before entering?: The Landlord enters only with the Tenant's prior consent, requested at a reasonable time after notice that is adequate under the circumstances, except to make emergency repairs or to address a rodent or insect infestation, including bed bugs, within 72 hours of learning of it.
What does a New Hampshire landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the New Hampshire checklist has four items: a signed receipt stating the deposit amount and where it is held, with written notice that the Tenant has five days after moving in to report existing damage; a copy of the signed Lease within 30 days after all parties sign; and any known methamphetamine production on the Premises that has not been remediated to state standards. The other one are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Which New Hampshire statutes does this lease cite?: N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:6, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:7, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540-A:3, N.H. Rev. Stat. 540:3 and N.H. Rev. Stat. 540:11, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this New Hampshire lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the New Hampshire statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with New Hampshire landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A New Hampshire lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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