How eviction works step by step, and what defenses you have at each stage
This page covers the eviction process in New Hampshire for a residential tenancy — the notices a landlord must serve, the timeline, and what you can do at each stage.
It does not cover commercial leases, or mobile home parks where a separate statute applies. Where a city has its own rules, those may differ from the state statute below.
RSA § 540:2 — restricted property（绝大多数住宅）须 just cause 才能终止；欠租 7 天 notice（540:3）+ pay-and-stay 权（540:9）。
NH 是少数有 just cause 要求的州：restricted property 只能基于 540:2 II 列举的法定理由（欠租/实质损害/违反 material term/危及安全/other good cause 等）终止。驱逐通知须写明具体理由（540:3 III）。
RSA § 540:2, 540:3 ↗Applies when: 欠租
Counted from: 收到通知后
Service: 书面 7 天 eviction notice（须写明理由，540:3 III）。
· 540:3 II(a)：欠租 7 天 notice（非 pay-or-quit，是 eviction notice）。
· ⭐ pay-and-stay 权（540:9）：开庭前付清全部欠租 + $15 liquidated damages + filing fee + 送达费可撤销；12 个月最多 3 次。
RSA § 540:3 II(a), 540:9 ↗Applies when: 违约（违反 material term）
Counted from: 收到通知后
Service: 书面 30 天 notice（540:2 II(c)），无 cure 期。
· 540:2 II(c)：违反 material term 30 天终止，**无 cure 期**。
RSA § 540:2 II(c) ↗Applies when: 无过错月租终止（other good cause）
Counted from: 收到通知后
Service: 书面 30 天 notice（540:2 II(e)）。
· 540:2 II(e)「other good cause」含合法商业/经济理由；但 III 要求若基于租客行为须先给书面警告。
· 注意 2025 修订（eff. Jul 1 2026）新增 no-fault lease-expiration 终止 540:2 II(i)（12 月以上租约到期，60 天书面 + 6 月内起诉）。
RSA § 540:2 II(e) ↗NH 禁止自力救济（540-A:3）：房东不得换锁、断水电、搬物或以其他方式排除租客占有，除非经司法程序。
RSA § 540-A:3 ↗“「欠租了，我换锁赶你走。」”
NH 驱逐只能走 Circuit Court possessory action，房东擅自换锁/断水电违反 540-A:3，属非法自力救济。欠租你还有 540:9 pay-and-stay 权：开庭前付清欠租 + $15 违约金 + filing fee 即可撤销（12 月最多 3 次）。
RSA § 540-A:3, 540:9
“「你投诉了，我 6 个月内涨你房租。」”
NH 540:13-b：受保护行为（举报违规/起诉/租客集会）后 6 个月内涨租或驱逐，推定报复，举证责任转房东。你可主张 540:13-a 报复抗辩，救济最高 3 月租金（540:14）。
RSA § 540:13-a, 540:13-b
非法驱逐/排除（540-A:3 违规）走 540-A:4 → RSA 358-A:10 消费者保护法：实际损失或 $1,000 孰大 + 诉讼费 + 合理律师费；故意/明知可判 2-3 倍实际损失；法院可责令立即恢复占有。
RSA § 540-A:4, 358-A:10 ↗Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.
| Statute | Last verified | Source |
|---|---|---|
| RSA § 540:2, 540:3 | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
| RSA § 540:3 II(a), 540:9 | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
| RSA § 540:2 II(c) | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
| RSA § 540:2 II(e) | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
| RSA § 540:3 | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
| RSA § 540:9 | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
| RSA § 540:1-a | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
| RSA § 540-A:3 | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
| RSA § 540-A:4, 358-A:10 | 2026-10-16 | official text ↗ |
Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.
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7 or 30 days depending on the grounds, counted from service of the notice. RSA § 540:2, 540:3
NH 禁止自力救济（540-A:3）：房东不得换锁、断水电、搬物或以其他方式排除租客占有，除非经司法程序。
The timeline starts only on valid service. 书面 7 天 eviction notice（须写明理由，540:3 III）。