RR
Rent Regulations

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540: § 540:23

Plaintiff's Damages.

In Force
Verified 10/20/2026 · Next check 10/27/2026
effective 10/20/2026New HampshireEviction & Just Cause

Operative Text

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540: § 540:23
If a defendant files a plea of title or appeals, and the plaintiff recovers judgment against the defendant, the court shall cause plaintiff's damages, exemplary or otherwise, including a just compensation for the use and detention of the property and for any injury thereto, to be assessed and may issue execution therefor, or the same may be recovered on the recognizance taken as before provided.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:23, when a tenant (defendant) files a plea of title or appeals a landlord-tenant case and the landlord (plaintiff) ultimately wins judgment, the court is directed to calculate and award the landlord's full damages. Those damages can include exemplary (punitive) damages, fair compensation for the landlord's loss of use of the property during the period of detention, and compensation for any harm done to the property itself. The court may then issue an execution order to collect those damages, or they may be recovered through a previously recorded recognizance.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under § 540:23, landlords who prevail after a tenant has filed a plea of title or pursued an appeal are entitled to have the court assess a comprehensive damages award, which can encompass compensation for lost use of the property, any physical harm to the premises, and potentially exemplary damages. Compliant operators typically document the rental value of the property during the period of detention and any damage to the premises carefully, so that the court has a clear evidentiary basis for calculating the award. The provision also provides a mechanism—execution or recovery on recognizance—for actually collecting the damages once judgment is entered.

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

For Tenants

Section 540:23 establishes that if a tenant exercises the right to file a plea of title or appeal and the landlord ultimately prevails, the court will assess damages against the tenant that can go beyond ordinary rent, potentially including exemplary damages and compensation for property harm. Tenants considering these procedural options should be aware that an unsuccessful outcome could result in a broader financial obligation than the base rent owed. Tenant-rights organizations and legal aid services can help tenants understand the full scope of potential liability under § 540:23 before deciding how to proceed.

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

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

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

§ 151.20
TEMPORARY EVICTION CONTROLS AND RENT REDUCTIONS FOR MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED IN THE JANUARY, 1994 EARTHQUAKE
§ 1
Definitions
§ 2
Eviction of tenants prohibited; exceptions

Source Information

Source:https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LV/540/540-23.htm
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