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Rent Regulations

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A: § 205-A:10

Waiver Prohibited.

In Force
Verified 10/20/2026 · Next check 10/27/2026
effective 10/20/2026New HampshireProhibited Clauses

Operative Text

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A: § 205-A:10
No lease or rental agreement, oral or written shall contain any provision by which a tenant waives any rights under this chapter or RSA 540-A, and any such waiver shall be deemed contrary to public policy and shall be unenforceable and void.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:10, any clause in a lease or rental agreement—whether written or spoken—that attempts to strip a tenant of rights granted by RSA 205-A or RSA 540-A is automatically void and unenforceable as a matter of public policy. The rule applies equally to oral and written agreements, meaning the form of the agreement does not affect the outcome. No contractual language, however clearly worded, can override the statutory protections these chapters provide.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 20, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Operators subject to § 205-A:10 generally review all lease templates and rental agreements to ensure no clause purports to have tenants surrender rights established under RSA 205-A or RSA 540-A. A compliant operator understands that including such a waiver provision does not make it binding—it is void by operation of law regardless of whether a tenant signed or verbally agreed to it. Property managers working with legal counsel typically audit their standard agreements periodically to remove any language that could be construed as a prohibited waiver.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Section § 205-A:10 means that even if a lease you signed contains language purporting to waive your rights under RSA 205-A or RSA 540-A, that language has no legal force and cannot be enforced against you. Tenants who believe a landlord is attempting to rely on such a waiver clause have several general options, including raising the provision's invalidity as a defense in any proceeding, contacting a local tenant-rights organization for guidance, or consulting with an attorney familiar with New Hampshire housing law. Keeping a copy of your lease and any related communications can be useful when documenting a potential violation of § 205-A:10.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 20, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 20, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540-A

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:21
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:21
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:21
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:23
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:4
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:4-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:4
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:2
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:12-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:13-a
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:17
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A:1
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 205-A

Related Rules

§ 28
Waivers of Secs. 23 to 27 void and unenforceable
§ 966.6
§ 966.6 Prohibited lease provisions.
§ 12
Stay of proceedings; validity of waiver in lease

Source Information

Source:https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XVII/205-A/205-A-10.htm
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