New Hampshire Eviction Record Sealing: No Law, but No-Fault Shield

Short answer: New Hampshire eviction record sealing has no statute behind it: RSA chapter 540, which governs evictions, never mentions sealing or expungement. What New Hampshire does offer is narrower and unusual. Under RSA 540:2, VIII, a “no-fault termination of tenancy” (a lease-expiration case under RSA 540:2, II(i)) “shall not be considered an eviction for the purposes of rental applications and tenant screening reports,” and the court must note in its records that the termination was at no fault of the tenant.

So the question in New Hampshire is less “can I seal this?” and more “what kind of case was it, and how did it end?” A lease-expiration case gets a built-in label. A nonpayment case can be dismissed before the hearing if you pay what RSA 540:9 requires. Other cases end in a public judgment that stays visible, subject to the federal seven-year reporting limit.

New Hampshire eviction record sealing: quick reference

The no-fault rule in RSA 540:2, VIII

New Hampshire’s restricted tenancies can be ended only for listed reasons, and one of them, RSA 540:2, II(i), is simply the end of a long lease. It applies when the original lease term was 12 months or longer (or a shorter lease has been renewed to a total of 12 months or more), the landlord gave written notice at least 60 days before the lease ended that it would not be renewed, and the landlord files the possessory action within 6 months after the lease expires.

When a case proceeds on that ground, paragraph VIII does three things:

• it declares the termination is not an eviction for rental applications and tenant screening reports, whether the landlord or the tenant is the one describing it;
• it directs the court to note in the case documentation that the termination was at no fault of the tenant; and
• it adds that it does not limit a landlord’s ability to perform due diligence on a prospective tenant.

That is not sealing. The case remains a court record. But it gives you a statute to point to if a screening report labels a lease-expiration case as an eviction. The section’s source note lists amendments from 2024 and 2025, the most recent effective July 1, 2026, so check the current text if your case is older.

Nonpayment cases: getting a dismissal instead of a judgment

For unpaid rent, the landlord’s eviction notice may be as short as 7 days (RSA 540:3, II). After the case is filed, RSA 540:9 requires dismissal of a possessory action based solely on nonpayment if, at any time before the hearing on the merits, you pay in guaranteed funds all rent due through the date of payment, other lawful lease charges, $15 in liquidated damages, and the landlord’s filing fee and service charges, and the landlord then submits a receipt to the court before the hearing.

There is a ceiling: under RSA 540:9, II, you cannot defeat a nonpayment eviction this way more than 3 times in 12 months. Because chapter 540 contains no sealing procedure, a dismissal like this is the best outcome available in a nonpayment case. Keep the receipt and the dismissal notice together.

If you settle instead

When you negotiate a move-out, ask that the case be dismissed rather than ending in a judgment for possession, and if the real reason for the move-out is the end of your lease, ask that the agreement say so. New Hampshire law does not require a landlord to agree to these terms, so get them in writing before you sign anything filed with the court.

What screening companies may report

Outside the no-fault rule, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act sets the limits. A civil suit or judgment generally cannot be reported once it is more than seven years past its date of entry, unless the governing statute of limitations is longer (15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(2)). According to the CFPB, you can dispute errors with the company that created the report and with the source of the information (CFPB).

Two New Hampshire errors are worth checking for: a dismissed RSA 540:9 case shown as a judgment, and a no-fault lease-expiration case shown as an eviction. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, the screening company must reinvestigate within 30 days and delete or modify information that is inaccurate or cannot be verified. Attach the court’s no-fault notation or dismissal. Our tenant screening report explainer covers the dispute letter.

Worked example: a Concord renter at lease end

Devon has rented in Concord under a 12-month lease since October 1, 2025, ending September 30, 2026. His landlord wants the unit for a relative and, on July 20, 2026, hands him written notice that the lease will not renew; that is more than 60 days before September 30, as RSA 540:2, II(i)(1)(A) requires. Devon needs more time and stays past the end date.

The landlord must file the possessory action within 6 months of the lease expiring, so by March 30, 2027. When the case goes forward on the lease-expiration ground, the court notes that the termination was at no fault of the tenant, and under RSA 540:2, VIII it may not be treated as an eviction on Devon’s future rental applications or screening reports. If a report later calls it an eviction, he disputes it with a copy of that notation.

If you have a fault-based judgment

A judgment on nonpayment or another fault ground has no sealing path under chapter 540. If you believe the judgment was wrong, the deadline is very short: RSA 540:20 requires a notice of intent to appeal to the supreme court within 7 days of the date of the notice of judgment. Otherwise, pull your report so you know what appears, and give landlords a brief, factual explanation with proof of rent paid since. If a landlord rejected you because of a report, you are entitled to a free copy when you ask within 60 days (15 U.S.C. § 1681j(b)). Background on the court steps is in how the eviction process works and the eviction process by state index, and deposit questions after you leave are covered on our New Hampshire security deposit law page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a New Hampshire landlord tell a future landlord I was evicted when my lease simply ended?

If the case was a no-fault termination under RSA 540:2, II(i), paragraph VIII says it shall not be considered an eviction for rental applications and tenant screening reports. The rule still lets landlords do due diligence, so a landlord may confirm the tenancy ended, but it should not be described as an eviction.

Does paying everything before the hearing erase a New Hampshire nonpayment case?

It gets the case dismissed under RSA 540:9 if you pay all the required amounts and the landlord files the receipt before the hearing. The case is not sealed, but a dismissal reads very differently from a judgment. You can use this no more than 3 times in 12 months.

Is there a New Hampshire form to seal an eviction?

Chapter 540 creates no sealing procedure, and we found no eviction-specific sealing form tied to it. Talk with a legal aid lawyer before filing anything, since a general request to seal would depend on the court’s own rules and discretion.

How long can a New Hampshire eviction stay on my screening report?

Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(2), generally seven years from the date of entry, or longer if the governing statute of limitations is longer. A no-fault lease-expiration case should not be reported as an eviction at all under RSA 540:2, VIII.

Your next step: if you received a nonrenewal or eviction notice, check which RSA 540:2 ground it cites, because that decides how the case can be described later, and contact New Hampshire legal aid. This page is general information, not legal advice; LSC’s get legal help page lists programs. Other states are compared on our eviction record sealing by state hub.

Sources

• RSA 540:2 (termination of tenancy; no-fault rule)
• RSA 540:3 (eviction notice)
• RSA 540:9 (payment after notice)
• RSA 540:20 (appeal)
• RSA chapter 540, full text
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681c (Cornell LII)
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681i (Cornell LII)
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681j (Cornell LII)
• LSC legal aid finder
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, tenant background checks and disputes