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Rent Regulations

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540: § 540:28

Lease Provisions.

In Force
Verified 10/20/2026 · Next check 10/27/2026
effective 10/20/2026New HampshireProhibited Clauses

Operative Text

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540: § 540:28
No lease or rental agreement, oral or written, shall contain any provision by which a tenant waives any of his rights under this chapter, and any such waiver shall be null and void.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:28, any clause in a lease or rental agreement—whether written or spoken—that attempts to strip a tenant of rights granted by RSA Chapter 540 is automatically void and unenforceable. The rule applies equally to formal written leases and informal oral agreements. The provision ensures that the statutory protections of Chapter 540 cannot be contracted away, regardless of what a landlord and tenant may have agreed to.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Operators subject to N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:28 generally review their lease templates to ensure no clause purports to have tenants surrender rights established under RSA Chapter 540. Even if a tenant voluntarily signs such a waiver, it carries no legal weight and cannot be relied upon in an eviction or other proceeding. Compliant landlords typically work with a qualified attorney familiar with New Hampshire landlord-tenant law when drafting or updating lease language.

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

For Tenants

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:28 means that if your lease contains a clause asking you to give up any right protected under RSA Chapter 540, that clause is null and void from the outset—you do not lose those rights simply because you signed the agreement. Tenants who believe a landlord is attempting to enforce such a waiver provision may raise its invalidity as a defense in any relevant court proceeding. Tenant-rights organizations in New Hampshire can help explain which Chapter 540 protections apply and what general options are available.

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
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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

§ 28
Waivers of Secs. 23 to 27 void and unenforceable
§ 966.6
§ 966.6 Prohibited lease provisions.
§ 12
Stay of proceedings; validity of waiver in lease

Source Information

Source:https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LV/540/540-28.htm
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