If your landlord has done any of the things listed above, you can get an
order to make your landlord stop, and to award you damages, by filing a
540-A petition at your local district court. You do not need a lawyer nor to
pay a fee to file the Petition; simply ask the clerk to help you. You can ask
for a Temporary Order if there is an immediate threat of serious harm. The
Court will schedule a hearing to hear from both sides, and will then decide if
you should get damages and if the order should be continued. Contact LARC
for more information on filing a petition.
Eviction rights
In most cases your landlord has to have good cause to evict you. Please
read our pamphlet The Eviction Process for a description of the reasons you
can be evicted.
Retaliatory evictions
You cannot be evicted in retaliation for exercising any of the
following legal rights:
1. Reporting a serious code violation to a landlord or public official;
2. Lawfully withholding rent;
3. Meeting with or organizing other tenants.
Your landlord cannot evict you if you can prove the reason for the eviction
was that you exercised one of these legal rights. If an eviction is begun
within six months after one of these actions, it will be considered retaliatory
unless your landlord can show some other good reason for the eviction. For
example, if you owe more than one week’s rent at the time of the eviction.
Keep copies of everything that you give to your landlord or to officials.
LANDLORDS CANNOT REFUSE TO RENT TO ANYONE BECAUSE OF
RACE, CREED, AGE, SEX, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, MARITAL
STATUS, PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HANDICAP, OR TO FAMILIES WITH
CHILDREN. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE FAIR HOUSING
PROJECT AT NH LEGAL ASSISTANCE (1-800-921-1115) OR THE NH
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (603-271-2767).