New Hampshire Rental Application Form (PDF & Word Download)

Landlords utilize the New Hampshire rental application form to interview prospective tenants before signing a lease. The rental history and financial data that have been gathered may be used by the property management firm or landlord to assess the rental property.

What to Include

When asking a renter to complete a New Hampshire rental application, it's crucial to get the relevant personal and financial information from them and to ensure they are fully informed about the lease agreement. To ensure that a suitable tenant rents your house, this is crucial.

Almost all New Hampshire rental application forms ask for some or all of the following data:

• Rental history
• Personal information
• Credit history
• Permission for background checks
• Employment details
• Personal references
• Income information

Furthermore, landlords are required to make necessary disclosures so that possible tenants can utilize the rental property securely. They have to be specific about:

• Rent control rules
• The property's condition
• Associated fees
• Shared utility arrangements
• Smoking policy
• Potential hazards to the lessee
• The security deposit

What Not to Include

In New Hampshire, state and federal rules are in force to safeguard prospective tenants from unfair discrimination throughout the application process. The following protected classifications cannot be subjected to discrimination under the Federal Fair Housing Act:

• Sex
• Race/Color
• Religion
• National Origin/ Nationality
• Disability (Mental or Physical)
• Familial Status

Rental Application Fee Laws

There's no maximum rental application fee that a landlord can charge a potential renter in New Hampshire. The lessor ultimately decides what the rental payments should be, even though it's generally advised to stay within the normal out-of-pocket cost.

As per New Hampshire state law, if a potential renter's application is granted, the landlord may only request a security deposit of one month's rent or up to $100. Local restrictions may be set by counties and cities. Security deposits must also be kept separate from the landlord's personal funds at a state-licensed financial institution. A signed receipt detailing the surety bond or security deposit amount and storage location must be provided by the landlord. However, there's no need for a receipt if the security deposit is paid with a check.

Types of Background Checks

Running background checks forms part of the tenant screening process. This is performed using the information on the New Hampshire rental application form:

• Criminal Check: A criminal background check tries to reveal any records concerning the renter, which generally involves any previous offenses.
• Eviction Check: The purpose of this is to tell the landlord whether the applicant received an eviction notice in the previous seven years.
• Credit Check: This gives New Hampshire landlords a report regarding the applicant's credit history, which is necessary for determining whether the candidate will be able to meet the monthly rent payments or not.

Once the landlord is satisfied that the potential tenant meets the screening criteria, the lease agreement can be signed.

Laws and Consent

The Federal Credit Reporting Act states that the potential renter must give written consent before a lessor can run a credit check using the applicant's information from the filed rental application. A signature and statement to that effect may be included on the New Hampshire residential rental application form itself, or the written approval may be given using a distinct consent form.

Eviction Record Search

Evictions are public information in New Hampshire; thus, anyone can access them.

In conjunction with the state's on-demand record request system, landlords have the opportunity to use a third-party service to gather information.

Follow the steps below if you want to access the eviction records:

• Go to the New Hampshire Odyssey Portal
• Complete the registration form in order to create your own account
• Request access to the records by selecting 'General Public'
• In order to continue, you need to read and accept the terms and conditions of the court
• Search for the applicant by entering their name - if there is any case, it will pop up
• View a summary of any cases by selecting the applicable case number. The cases' documents aren't currently accessible to non-attorney parties or parties who aren't involved in the lawsuits.

Adverse Action Notices

If you obtain a consumer report about a prospective tenant (such as information about their eviction history, credit history, or criminal record) and take the following "adverse action" against them:

• Needing a co-signer
• Rejecting the candidate's application
• Asking for higher rent
• Requesting a larger security deposit

Then you must formally notify the renter via a letter called an "adverse action notice" that contains specific information. Even if the information from the consumer report wasn't the main driver of the activity, this is still necessary.

The notice needs to contain information about the consumer reporting agency, that the agency didn't personally take the adverse action and cannot explain why it was made, and a statement that the applicant has the right to a copy of the report and to contest its accuracy within 60 days. Moreover, it's advised to include a rationale for rejection when rejecting an applicant (this is not a legal requirement).

Build Your Own

You can make your own New Hampshire rental application using our eForms creation tool if the sample forms don't have everything you're looking for. Simply provide the necessary details to create your own application form! Alternatively, you can download the following templates:

• PDF
• Doc

Conclusion

Having a thorough New Hampshire rental application form is crucial if you're planning on renting out a property. This not only protects the landlord, but also the tenant. Therefore, make sure your rental application form ticks all the boxes by using one of our templates!