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New Hampshire Eviction Notice

New Hampshire eviction notice: 7-day nonpayment and 30-day lease-violation periods under RSA 540:2-3. Free template, statute cites. Attorney review available.

Introduction

New Hampshire flips the pattern most landlords expect: nonpayment of rent, property damage, and behavior that endangers other tenants' health or safety all get the shorter 7-day eviction notice, while a plain lease violation, like breaking a pet clause, gets a longer 30-day notice. This page is the actual eviction notice a New Hampshire landlord fills out and serves, not a broader guide to the state's eviction law: an eviction notice is the written notice a landlord must serve before filing a possessory action (New Hampshire's eviction lawsuit) in court. Nonpaying tenants get an unusual second chance too: under RSA 540:9, a tenant can stop the eviction by paying everything owed, plus $15 liquidated damages and lawful costs, any time up until the hearing, not just within the 7-day window, capped at 3 uses per 12 months. New Hampshire's Actions Against Tenants statute, RSA Chapter 540, sets these periods and requires the notice to state the reason with specificity. A newer, no-fault option took effect July 1, 2026: for leases of 12 months or longer, a landlord can end the tenancy at its natural expiration with 60 days' notice, without stating any fault-based ground. New Hampshire's district courts also publish an official but optional Eviction Notice form, NHJB-3041-D; a landlord-written notice must still include the same information that form requests.

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Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    An eviction notice is a written notice a New Hampshire landlord must serve on a tenant before filing a possessory action (the state's eviction lawsuit) in court.

  2. 2

    Nonpayment of rent gets a 7-day notice. A separate demand for rent must be made first (or served with the notice). A tenant can still stop the eviction by paying everything owed, plus $15 liquidated damages and lawful costs, any time before the court hearing, up to 3 times in 12 months. (RSA 540:2, II(a); RSA 540:3, II; RSA 540:9)

  3. 3

    Substantial property damage and behavior that adversely affects other tenants' or the landlord's health or safety also get the shorter 7-day notice. (RSA 540:2, II(b), (d))

  4. 4

    Failing to comply with a material lease term, like an unauthorized pet or a parking violation, gets a longer 30-day notice, and New Hampshire law doesn't give the tenant a separate statutory right to fix the problem and stop the notice. (RSA 540:2, II(c))

  5. 5

    The governing law is New Hampshire's Actions Against Tenants statute, RSA Chapter 540, which sets the notice periods above and requires the notice to state the reason for eviction with specificity. (RSA 540:3, III)

  6. 6

    Notice may be served personally or left at the tenant's last and usual place of abode; for commercial tenants, a copy must also go by certified mail to the tenant's legal address or registered agent. (RSA 540:5)

  7. 7

    New Hampshire's district courts publish an official Eviction Notice form, NHJB-3041-D. A landlord isn't required to use it, but a notice the landlord writes must include the same information the form requests. (RSA 540:5, II)

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Eviction Notice in New Hampshire, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Eviction Notice guide walks through them.

Open the Eviction Notice guide

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NEW HAMPSHIRE EVICTION NOTICE

[7-DAY EVICTION NOTICE (NONPAYMENT / DAMAGE / HEALTH-SAFETY) / 30-DAY EVICTION NOTICE (LEASE VIOLATION / OTHER GOOD CAUSE) / 60-DAY NO-FAULT NOTICE (LEASE EXPIRATION)]

Date of Notice: [DATE]

1. LANDLORD AND TENANT

Landlord/Property Manager: [LANDLORD'S FULL LEGAL NAME] Landlord's Address: [STREET ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP] Landlord's Phone: [PHONE NUMBER]

Tenant(s): [FULL LEGAL NAME(S) OF ALL TENANTS ON LEASE]

2. PREMISES

Rental Address: [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT/APT NUMBER, CITY, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ZIP CODE]

3. REASON FOR NOTICE

[SELECT ONE:]

  • Nonpayment of rent: Neglect or refusal to pay rent due and in arrears in the amount of $[AMOUNT DUE] for the rent period(s) of [DATES], after a demand for rent was served on [DATE]. (RSA 540:2, II(a))
  • Substantial property damage: [DESCRIBE damage caused by the tenant, household, or guests]. (RSA 540:2, II(b))
  • Health-or-safety-endangering behavior: [DESCRIBE behavior adversely affecting the health or safety of other tenants or the landlord]. (RSA 540:2, II(d))
  • Failure to comply with a material lease term: [DESCRIBE the lease term violated]. (RSA 540:2, II(c))
  • Other good cause: [DESCRIBE the legitimate business or economic reason]. (RSA 540:2, II(e))
  • No-fault lease expiration (lease of 12 months or longer): This lease expires on [DATE] and will not be renewed. (RSA 540:2, II(i))

4. NOTICE PERIOD AND RIGHT TO PAY

Notice period: You have [7 DAYS / 30 DAYS / 60 DAYS, select based on the reason marked above] from service of this notice to comply or vacate.

If this notice is for nonpayment of rent: You may stop this eviction by paying, any time before your court hearing, all rent due through the date of payment, $15 liquidated damages, and any lawful charges or court costs. Limited to 3 uses per 12-month period. (RSA 540:9)

Note (property damage, health-or-safety, or lease-violation reasons): New Hampshire law does not require a separate opportunity to cure before this notice period runs.

5. VACATE-BY DATE

Deadline: [DATE, calculated as 7, 30, or 60 days from service, matching the reason selected in Section 3, per RSA 540:3]

6. STATUTORY BASIS

Served under New Hampshire RSA 540:2 and RSA 540:3. Failure to comply by the deadline may result in a possessory action in the District Division of the New Hampshire Circuit Court for [COUNTY].

Note: New Hampshire courts publish an Eviction Notice form, NHJB-3041-D. Using it is not required, but any notice served must include the same information the form requests. (RSA 540:5, II)

7. SERVICE / PROOF OF SERVICE

Method of service (RSA 540:5):

  1. Personal delivery to the tenant, OR
  2. Left at the tenant's last and usual place of abode.

Commercial tenants only: a copy must also go by certified mail to the tenant's legal address or registered agent.

Served by: [NAME OF PERSON SERVING NOTICE] Date served: [DATE] Method used: [PERSONAL DELIVERY / LEFT AT RESIDENCE / CERTIFIED MAIL (COMMERCIAL)]

Landlord Signature: _________________________ Date: [DATE]

Issued under New Hampshire RSA Chapter 540. This is a template; consult the current statute or an attorney to confirm details for your situation, attorney review is available and optional. For the full national Eviction Notice template covering all notice types, see the full Eviction Notice template.

New Hampshire Requirements for Eviction Notice

Notice Period for Nonpayment of Rent (New Hampshire RSA 540:2, II(a); RSA 540:3, II)

7-day notice, excluding no days (calendar days), for neglect or refusal to pay rent due and in arrears. A demand for rent must be made first, or served together with the eviction notice. A tenant may still stop the eviction by paying all rent due, $15 liquidated damages, and lawful charges and costs at any time before the court hearing, not only within the 7-day window, capped at 3 uses in any 12-month period.

Proper Service of Notice (NH RSA 540:5)

Notice may be served by any person, either by personal delivery to the tenant or by leaving a copy at the tenant's last and usual place of abode. For commercial rental property, a copy must also be sent by certified mail to the tenant's last known legal address or, if one is on file with the New Hampshire secretary of state, to the tenant's registered agent. Proof of service requires a true and attested copy of the notice plus an affidavit of service, which does not need to be sworn under oath.

Notice Period for Property Damage and Health-or-Safety Behavior (New Hampshire RSA 540:2, II(b), (d))

7-day notice for substantial damage to the premises by the tenant, household, or guests, or for behavior by the tenant or household that adversely affects the health or safety of other tenants or the landlord. Both grounds share the same shorter 7-day period as nonpayment of rent.

Governing Actions Against Tenants Statute (New Hampshire RSA Chapter 540)

The statutory basis for every notice type on this page: New Hampshire RSA Chapter 540, Actions Against Tenants. The notice must state the reason for the eviction with specificity, and for nonpayment cases, a separate demand for rent under RSA 540:4 must be made at any time after rent becomes due and before or simultaneous with the eviction notice.

Notice Period for Material Lease Violations (New Hampshire RSA 540:2, II(c))

30-day notice for failing to comply with a material term of the lease. This ground is not on the statute's 7-day list, so the longer general notice period applies. Unlike nonpayment of rent, New Hampshire law gives the tenant no separate statutory right to cure a lease violation and stop the notice; the landlord may allow a fix at their own discretion, but it is not a tenant right.

Eviction Notice Form, Not Mandatory But Content Required (New Hampshire RSA 540:5, II)

New Hampshire's district courts are required to publish a Demand for Rent and an Eviction Notice form (currently NHJB-3041-D) at court clerks' offices and on the judicial branch website. A landlord is not required to use these forms, but a notice the landlord writes on their own must include the same information the official forms request.

No-Fault Lease-Expiration Notice Period (New Hampshire RSA 540:2, II(i))

Effective July 1, 2026: distinct from the fault-based notices above, a landlord may end a lease of 12 months or longer (or shorter leases renewed to 12 months or longer) at its natural expiration without stating any fault-based ground, by giving written notice at least 60 days before the lease-term end date and filing the possessory action within 6 months of the lease expiring. This no-fault termination is not to be treated as an eviction on rental applications or tenant screening reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the reason. Nonpayment of rent, substantial property damage, and behavior that endangers other tenants' or the landlord's health or safety all get a 7-day notice. A material lease violation or another good-cause reason gets a 30-day notice. A no-fault termination at the natural end of a 12-month-or-longer lease, available since July 1, 2026, gets a 60-day notice. (RSA 540:2, RSA 540:3)

No. RSA 540:2 requires a landlord to serve a written notice to quit, stating the reason with specificity, before filing a possessory action in court. Skipping the notice, using the wrong notice period, or leaving out the required reason can delay or sink the case.

By statute, the notice must state the reason for the eviction with specificity, and if the reason is nonpayment of rent, it must tell the tenant about the right to avoid eviction by paying what's owed. (RSA 540:3, III-IV) The state's official form also asks for the tenant's name and address, the rental address, the vacate-by date, and the specific RSA 540:2 ground being used.

No. New Hampshire's district courts publish an Eviction Notice form, NHJB-3041-D, at court clerks' offices and on the judicial branch website, but a landlord isn't required to use it. Whatever notice the landlord does write must include the same information the official form requests. (RSA 540:5, II)

Only for nonpayment of rent. Under RSA 540:9, a tenant can pay all rent owed, $15 liquidated damages, and lawful costs at any time before the court hearing, capped at 3 times in 12 months, to have the case dismissed. For property damage, lease violations, or health-or-safety grounds, the statute doesn't give the tenant a separate right to cure; the notice period itself is fixed.

Count from the date the notice is served, not the date it's written. A 7-day notice, 30-day notice, or 60-day notice runs for that many calendar days from service, and the notice must state the resulting vacate-by date. Getting the count wrong, or serving before the required demand for rent in a nonpayment case, can get a possessory action dismissed. (RSA 540:2, RSA 540:3)

If the tenant hasn't paid, vacated, or otherwise complied by the deadline, the landlord may file a possessory action, which results in a Landlord and Tenant Writ served by the sheriff. The tenant then has until the writ's return day to file an appearance contesting the case; if no appearance is filed, the court may enter a default judgment. (RSA 540:13)

The landlord or the landlord's agent signs the notice. Service may be made by any person, not only a sheriff, either by personal delivery to the tenant or by leaving the notice at the tenant's last and usual place of abode. Proof of service requires a true copy of the notice plus an affidavit of service, which doesn't need to be sworn under oath. (RSA 540:5)