An abandoned rental unit can occur at any time, even with the tenants a landlord believes will be longtime tenants. New Hampshire landlord tenant law defines two types of abandonment evidence that landlords may encounter - “relinquishment of possession”, and “abandonment of possession".
Relinquishment of possession - When a statement from all adult tenants is provided to landlord, stating that they have relinquished possession of the premises.
Abandonment of possession - When the tenant(s) simply abandon the premises with no intention to return, as evidenced by the substantial removal of personal possessions, return of all keys, or for failure to pay rent for at least 91 days.
Tenant's personal property
Regardless of how the property is abandoned, with or without notice, the landlord must use reasonable care in storing any personal property left behind by the tenant. The landlord must store the property for seven days, beginning on the day after the landlord serves the written property abandonment notice. During the seven day storage period the tenant is able to recover property without paying rent or a storage fee. However, once the seven day notice period expires the landlord can dispose of the property without notifying the tenant.
