NH HB1336

Landlords may require security deposits up to 2 months' rent (instead of the standard 1 month cap) for applicants who fail to meet disclosed approval criteria, including credit scores below 650, income less than 3 times monthly rent, prior eviction history, outstanding rental judgments, or no rental history

Landlords must disclose approval criteria before or at the time of application submission, and must provide written notice specifying grounds for requiring a higher deposit

Tenants paying the higher deposit may request re-screening at their own expense once every 6 months; if they subsequently meet standard criteria, excess deposit must be refunded or applied to rent within 30 days

Landlords are not compelled to accept higher deposits as a compensating factor or to approve applicants who fail to meet their criteria; landlords with more restrictive criteria than the bill's thresholds must conform to the standard 1-month deposit cap

The act takes effect 60 days after passage and has an indeterminable fiscal impact on state and local expenditures