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Rent Regulations

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540: § 540:1-b

Landlord's Agent Required.

In Force
Verified 10/20/2026 · Next check 10/27/2026
effective 10/20/2026New HampshireInspections, Registration & Licensing

Operative Text

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540: § 540:1-b
I. An owner of restricted property, as defined in RSA 540:1-a, II, who resides within the state of New Hampshire shall, within 30 days of becoming the owner or within 30 days of the effective date of this section, whichever occurs later, file a statement with the town or city clerk of the municipality in which the property is located that provides the name, address, and telephone number of a person within the state who is authorized to accept service of process for any legal proceeding brought against the owner relating to the restricted property. Such person authorized to accept service may be the owner of the premises. This section shall not apply to manufactured housing parks as defined in RSA 205-A:1, II.
II. An owner of restricted property who resides outside the state of New Hampshire shall, within 30 days of becoming the owner or within 30 days of the effective date of this section, whichever occurs later, file a statement with the town or city clerk of the municipality in which the property is located that provides the name, address, and telephone number of a person within the state who is authorized to accept service of process for any legal proceeding brought against the owner relating to the restricted property.
III. In any legal proceeding in which the property owner resides out of state and said owner fails to: (a) comply with paragraph II, and (b) appear in said proceeding, service of process pursuant to RSA 510:4 shall create a rebuttable presumption that such service was lawful and adequate. As used in this section the term "legal proceeding" includes, but is not limited to, any action at law or in equity or for the enforcement of any provision of RSA 48-A:14, or any housing code adopted by a municipality pursuant to RSA 48-A, or for the enforcement of any municipal health code, building code, or fire or life safety code. A municipality may establish a reasonable filing fee to cover the cost to the town or city clerk of maintaining a record of the filings required by this section.
IV. [Repealed.]
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:1-b, owners of restricted residential rental property in New Hampshire must file a statement with the local town or city clerk identifying a New Hampshire-based person authorized to accept legal service of process on the owner's behalf. In-state owners and out-of-state owners alike must complete this filing within 30 days of acquiring the property or within 30 days of the law's effective date, whichever is later. If an out-of-state owner fails to file and also fails to appear in a legal proceeding, service made under RSA 510:4 is presumed valid and adequate, though that presumption can be rebutted. The requirement does not apply to manufactured housing parks as defined under RSA 205-A:1, II.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 20, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Owners of restricted rental property subject to § 540:1-b generally file a statement with the town or city clerk in the municipality where the property sits, providing the name, address, and telephone number of a New Hampshire-resident authorized to receive legal papers on the owner's behalf. This filing is typically completed within 30 days of taking ownership, and the designated agent may be the owner themselves if they reside in-state. Out-of-state owners who skip this step risk having service of process in any housing-related legal action treated as presumptively valid even without their direct participation, so maintaining a current, accurate filing is a standard compliance practice.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Section 540:1-b of New Hampshire law establishes a public record — held by the local town or city clerk — identifying a person within the state who can be served with legal papers on behalf of a rental property owner. Tenants involved in housing-related legal matters, such as code enforcement actions or disputes under RSA 48-A, can consult that clerk's office to locate the designated agent for service of process. If an out-of-state owner has not filed the required statement and does not appear in a proceeding, the law creates a rebuttable presumption that service was lawful; tenants seeking to understand how this affects their situation may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid provider familiar with § 540:1-b.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 20, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 20, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:1-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:1
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 510:4
Not yet ingested
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 48-A:14
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 48-A

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:14
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:4
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:5
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:13-d
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:13-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:1-b
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:3
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:11-b
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:13-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:5
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:1-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:20
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:13-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:1-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:5
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:14
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:9
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:3
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540

Related Rules

§ 14.544
LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
§ 14.545
STANDARDS FOR HEALTH, SAFETY AND NUISANCE PREVENTION
§ 14.546
SANCTIONS AND PENALTIES

Source Information

Source:https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LV/540/540-1-b.htm
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