HB 1553
relative to pet-related fees and rent in residential tenancies.
Official record at gencourt.state.nh.us ↗Open this bill in the searchable view → · Follow this bill by RSS
On the record
Quoted from the General Court bill status page, not worked out from the docket.
| Status | HOUSE |
|---|---|
| In the House | INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE |
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 2/19/2026 |
| LSR number | 2810 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H64 |
Where it stands
House: INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
Every floor vote on this bill was a voice or division vote, so there is no record of how individual legislators voted.
A bill goes on the consent calendar when the committee vote was unanimous or nearly so, and any members who dissented did not object to placing it there. It then passes without floor debate. Ten members may file a petition to pull a bill off the consent calendar and have it debated and voted on separately.
Sponsors
Long, Patrick(D) Hills 26, Howard, Heath(D) Straf 4
Prime sponsor in bold. From the General Court sponsor file.
What happened
Every action recorded in the official docket, in order. Each line ends with the journal or calendar that recorded it; where we have the document, that citation links to it.
- January 7, 2026Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Housing
- January 27, 2026Public Hearing: 01/27/2026 01:30 pm GP 231
- February 3, 2026Executive Session: 02/03/2026 10:00 am GP 231
- February 10, 2026Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/03/2026 (Vote 17-1; CC)
- February 19, 2026Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 02/19/2026
Votes
Roll call tallies and individual votes from the General Court roll call files. Presiding, excused and absent are shown separately: one member presides over each House roll call and does not vote except to break a tie.
Inexpedient to Legislate
Decided on a voice vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.
Committee reports
Reproduced from the House Calendar in the committee’s own words.
Committee — INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE
The majority recommends against advancing legislation that limits pet rent to one percent of a tenant’s base rent. While well-intentioned, this proposal would create unintended consequences that outweigh its potential benefits. First, the bill interferes with private lease agreements and replaces flexible, market-based decision-making with a rigid statutory cap. Pet-related costs vary widely by property type, unit condition, and location. A one-size-fits-all limit fails to reflect these differences. Second, pets create real and recurring costs for housing providers, including increased maintenance, cleaning, property damage, and insurance risk. In many lower-rent units, a one percent cap would amount to only a few dollars per month, insufficient to offset these expenses. Third, the proposal is likely to reduce, not expand, pet-friendly housing. Faced with capped pet rent, housing providers may prohibit pets altogether, impose stricter restrictions, or raise base rent for all tenants to recover costs— penalizing renters without pets. Finally, small property owners would be disproportionately impacted. Unlike large operators, they often lack the financial capacity to absorb additional costs and may respond by tightening leasing policies or exiting the rental market. Existing landlord-tenant laws already provide safeguards against unfair practices. The majority finds no compelling evidence that pet rent constitutes a widespread abuse requiring legislative intervention. For these reasons, the majority concludes that this legislation would undermine housing choice, reduce pet-friendly units, and increase costs for renters overall. Vote 17-1.
Hearings and recordings
Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.
- January 27, 2026 at 13:30Housing public hearing recording 4:35:21–4:39:05, about 4 min (estimated)
- February 3, 2026 at 10:00Housing executive session recording 1:27:12–1:30:12, about 3 min (estimated)
- February 19, 2026House floor debate recording (start time not identified)
Page generated 2026-09-03 from data published by the New Hampshire General Court. Granite Record is an independent project, not affiliated with the General Court. The official record always takes precedence. Corrections: [email protected]