New Hampshire Eviction Notice

New Hampshire notice periods

Each period is the one LeaseCraft's record of the statute holds. Read it with the conditions under it: some periods are minimums and some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means the record holds no statutory period for that situation, and "No pre-suit notice" means it holds no notice before filing. The source column shows the law and the date LeaseCraft read it on the official site (most recently 2026-09-27).

What the New Hampshire statute says

Unpaid rent: 7 days

• Ground: neglect or refusal to pay rent due and in arrears, upon demand (RSA 540:2 II(a)); a written demand for rent is served with or before the eviction notice (RSA 540:5).
• Eviction notice must be in writing, state the reason with specificity, and — for nonpayment — inform the tenant of the right, if any, to avoid eviction by paying the arrearages plus $15 liquidated damages under RSA 540:9 (payment allowed any time prior to the hearing on the merits; not more than 3 times in 12 months).
• Notice must contain the same information as the judicial branch Demand for Rent / Eviction Notice forms (RSA 540:5 II).

Lease violation: 30 days

• Failure of the tenant to comply with a material term of the lease (RSA 540:2 II(c)) and 'other good cause' (II(e)) require 30 days' written notice stating the reason with specificity.
• Where 'other good cause' is based on the tenant's actions or inactions, the landlord must first give a written warning notice that such conduct would in future constitute grounds for eviction (RSA 540:2 V).

Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure: 7 days

• Substantial damage to the premises by the tenant, household members or guests (RSA 540:2 II(b)).
• Behavior of the tenant or family members which adversely affects the health or safety of other tenants or the landlord (RSA 540:2 II(d)).

Ending a month-to-month tenancy: 30 days

• Nonrestricted property (single-family house where owner owns no more than 3; unit in owner-occupied building of 4 or fewer units; foreclosed single-family houses held by mortgagees; nonresidential): landlord may terminate any tenancy by 30 days' written notice to quit without stating a cause beyond the notice requirements (RSA 540:2 I; 540:3 II).
• Restricted property (all other residential rentals): termination only for the good-cause grounds in RSA 540:2 II; 30 days' notice (7 days for II(a), (b), (d)).
• From 2026-07-01: for a lease with an original term of 12 months or longer (or renewed to a total of 12+ months), expiration of the term is a ground if the landlord gave written notice at least 60 days before the end of the term that the lease will not be renewed and files a possessory action within 6 months (RSA 540:2 II(i), 2025 ch. 263).

Exceptions

• Nonrestricted property is exempt from the good-cause requirement (RSA 540:1-a).

Delivery, form and other New Hampshire rules

How the notice may be delivered

A demand for rent or eviction notice may be served by any person, upon the tenant personally or left at the tenant's last and usual place of abode; proof of service is a true and attested copy of the notice with an affidavit of service (which need not be sworn under oath); commercial tenants also get a copy by certified mail (RSA 540:5 I).

RSA 540:5 I · read 2026-09-27

Required form or contents

Judicial Branch forms exist (Circuit Court District Division 'Demand for Rent' and 'Eviction Notice', form NHJB-3041-D per a third-party copy); their use is not mandatory but RSA 540:5 II requires a valid demand for rent or eviction notice to include the same information as is requested and provided on those forms, and RSA 540:3 III–IV require the reason stated with specificity and, for nonpayment, the RSA 540:9 cure statement. https://www.courts.nh.gov/our-courts/circuit-court/district-division/landlordtenant

RSA 540:5 II; RSA 540:3 III, IV · read 2026-09-27

Statewide just-cause rule

Yes: a statewide law requires a stated legal reason to end some tenancies

• Covered housing: 'restricted property' = all real property rented for residential purposes except nonrestricted property; landlord may terminate only for RSA 540:2 II grounds: nonpayment upon demand, substantial damage, failure to comply with a material lease term, health/safety-affecting behavior, other good cause (incl. legitimate business/economic reasons), lead-hazard abatement, willful failure to prepare for infestation remediation, DV-perpetrator cotenant, and (from 2026-07-01) expiration of a 12+ month lease on 60 days' notice.

RSA 540:2 II; RSA 540:1-a; 2025 N.H. Laws ch. 263 (HB 60) · read 2026-09-27

Preparing the notice

The form asks for the tenancy, the kind of notice and the dates, and the notice ends with a Certificate of Service to record how you delivered it. Beside the finished notice you get a New Hampshire checklist of the period, form and delivery rules LeaseCraft recorded. The period in the notice is the one you choose; where LeaseCraft has verified the New Hampshire period and your deadline is too soon, the document is not prepared until you move it.

Create a New Hampshire eviction notice

A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant. Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

Eviction Notice rules in nearby states

Eviction Notice rules for every state