Make a New Hampshire Rental Application

The New Hampshire Rental Application Process

Without a rental application, property owners would have the daunting task of gathering the needed information from each applicant and figuring out tenant screening methods on their own in a way that still complies with the State of New Hampshire's landlord-tenant laws. With a rental application, all of the needed information is provided in an organized fashion, making it easier for them to complete a background check and credit check on the prospective tenant.

These documents protect both the tenant and the applicant by ensuring that they comply with federal and state nondiscrimination laws. It collects answers to personal questions, like their full name, address, rental history, income information, and social security number. Though this information is sensitive and private, it is necessary to ensure that the landlord or property manager chooses the most qualified applicant.

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A Sample New Hampshire Rental Application Form with Examples for Each Step

Knowing how to write a New Hampshire application form is extremely important as a property owner because it helps you better screen prospective tenants for a lease agreement. To write a rental application form, you'll create sections that include blank spaces that give the applicant the room they need to provide answers. Before writing the form, decide whether you'll allow married couples or couples in a civil union to use the same application or if each person should complete a separate application. If you decide that the couple may use the same form, then you must create a rental application form that provides enough room for both applicants to answer.

• The first section includes the applicant's full legal name, birthday, cell phone number, work number, and email address. 
• Include a blank space to collect the applicant's social security number if you plan to run a credit check or background check. If you do this, remember to include an authorization at the end of the application.
• The second section collects the applicant's rental history. Starting with their current address, include their city, state, and zip code, ask for the contact information for their current landlord, the length of time they've lived in the current rental property, and the amount of rent they pay each month. Include extra blank spaces for the applicant to provide additional rental history if they moved regularly for work or other acceptable (non-eviction based) personal reasons.
• The third section collects the applicant's employment history, starting with their current employer. Leave blank spaces for their current employer, the address, their job title, how long they've worked for their current employer, the name of their supervisor, and the phone number for either their supervisor or HR. Leave additional space for the applicant to provide more employment history if necessary.
• Request all sources of income for the applicant. Include the type of income source (such as a paycheck or disability payment), payment frequency (weekly, biweekly, or monthly), and the amount.
• Ask whether the applicant has checking or savings accounts and which banks or credit unions manage those accounts.
• The fourth section is for descriptions of the applicant's vehicles. Ask how many vehicles they own as well as the year, make, model, and color. Vehicle information is particularly important if your rental property requires parking passes or has limited parking.
• Request emergency contact information for the prospective tenant.
• The fifth section requests the name and age of each person who would live with the tenant in the rental unit. 
• The sixth section asks whether they have pets, how many, the type, and the size.
• Finally, create an authorization paragraph that conforms with New Hampshire laws that explains to the applicant that their signature allows you to run a background check and a credit check using the information provided.
• Include a signature line and a blank space for the date.

Rental Application Resources for Tenants in New Hampshire

As a renter in New Hampshire, you are a party in a contract. It may feel like the landlord has all the power, but you do have rights. Here are some helpful links:

• New Hampshire Legal Aid's website offers an overview of your rights as a tenant. The website covers topics such as your rights in a lease agreement, housing standards, and tenant protections. They also offer several self-help guides covering topics such as when you can legally withhold the rent and bed bugs in rental units.
• New Hampshire Legal Aid's website provides information about rent increases, required notices about rent increases, and evictions related to rent increases.
• The Office of the Attorney General offers a Consumers Sourcebook titled Renting, Security Deposits, and Evictions.
• The Legal Aid and Referral Center (LARC), sponsored by New Hampshire Legal Aid, provides renters with legal assistance for landlord-tenant issues, including eviction, security deposit, housing conditions, etc.
• New Hampshire Housing provides support to very low-income households who need help with rent.

New Hampshire Rental Application Laws

New Hampshire security deposit laws allow landlords to charge the equivalent of one (1) month’s rent for a security deposit or $100 (whichever is greater). When a tenant moves out of the rental property or apartment, the landlord must return the deposit within 30 days. Additionally, the landlord must pay the tenant interest on the deposit if it is held longer than one (1) year (N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 540-A:5 to 540-A:8; 540-B:10).