New Hampshire Retaliation Law: What Counts & the Presumption Window (2026)

What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it

At a glance

• Protection window: 180 days
• Governing authority: RSA § 540:13-a

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers landlord retaliation in New Hampshire — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.

What the law prohibits

RSA § 540:13-a — 报复是驱逐诉讼的**抗辩**（Defense to Retaliation）：因租客举报违规、依 540-A 起诉、或与其他租客合法集会而报复性驱逐，租客可抗辩。

⚠️ 例外（540:13-a 首句）：租客欠租达「1 周租金或以上」时，报复抗辩**不可用**。受保护行为 3 类：①举报 RSA 540-A 违规或住房法规违规；②依 540-A 起诉或走 540:13-d 程序；③与其他租客合法集会。

RSA § 540:13-a ↗

The protection window

For 180 days after a protected act, certain landlord actions are presumed retaliatory.

540:13-b：房东在受保护行为后 **6 个月（约 180 天）**内发起驱逐、涨租或重大变更租约条款 → 可反驳推定报复，举证责任转房东（除非法院认定租客行为主要为阻止驱逐）。

RSA § 540:13-b ↗

Protected activities

What a landlord may not do

Burden of proof

6 个月内不利行为 → 可反驳推定报复，举证责任转房东证明合法非报复理由；欠租≥1 周租金时报复抗辩不可用（540:13-a）。

RSA § 540:13-b, 540:13-a ↗

Remedies

Exemptions and limits

欠租达 1 周租金以上 → 报复抗辩不可用（540:13-a 首句）；法院认定租客行为主要为阻止驱逐 → 推定不适用（540:13-b）。

RSA § 540:13-a, 540:13-b ↗

Sources and how to verify them

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 § 540:13-a	2026-10-16	official text ↗
RSA § 540:13-b	2026-10-16	official text ↗
RSA § 540:13-a I	2026-10-16	official text ↗
RSA § 540:13-a II-III	2026-10-16	official text ↗
RSA § 540:13-b, 540:13-a	2026-10-16	official text ↗
RSA § 540:14	2026-10-16	official text ↗
RSA § 540-A:4, 358-A:10	2026-10-16	official text ↗
RSA § 540:13-a, 540:13-b	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.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More New Hampshire guides

New Hampshire Security Deposit Return · New Hampshire Security Deposit Rules · New Hampshire Eviction Process · New Hampshire Rent Increase Rules · New Hampshire Repairs & Habitability

→ All New Hampshire tenant rights topics

Common questions