Renters Insurance in New Hampshire

What a renters insurance policy covers, the rules on cancelling one, and how to file a claim and complain to the Insurance Department.

Checked against its sources October 26, 2026.

On this page

Cite this page

This guide is written by Granite Record from the official pages it links to. Where a citation allows only one source, cite the official page for the part you rely on. The date below is the day the page was read.

MLA: “Renters Insurance in New Hampshire.” Granite Record, https://graniterecord.org/guides/renters-insurance. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.
APA: Granite Record. (n.d.). Renters Insurance in New Hampshire. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://graniterecord.org/guides/renters-insurance
Chicago: Granite Record. “Renters Insurance in New Hampshire.” Accessed November 2, 2026. https://graniterecord.org/guides/renters-insurance.
BibTeX: @misc{guides-renters-insurance, title = {Renters Insurance in New Hampshire}, howpublished = {Granite Record}, url = {https://graniterecord.org/guides/renters-insurance}, note = {Accessed 2 Nov. 2026} }

At a Glance

If you rent, your landlord’s insurance does not cover the things you own; a renters policy does, the Insurance Department explains, and some policies also cover your living expenses if an insured loss keeps you out of your home. Once a policy has been in effect for 90 days, the insurer may cancel it only for the reasons the law lists, with written notice. If an insurer handles your claim unfairly, you can complain to the Insurance Department.

Do you rent your home?
- YesA renters policy can cover your belongings, which your landlord’s insurance does not.
- No, you own itSee homeowners insurance.
If you have a loss, tell your insurer and keep a record of what you send.
If you disagree with how it is handled, complain to the Insurance Department.

Step by Step

Your policy

What renters insurance covers
New Hampshire’s law on home insurance covers policies on a household’s real property (a building), its personal property (belongings) and its legal liability for injury to other people or damage to their property.
The Insurance Department’s Homeowners and Renters Insurance page explains that if you rent an apartment, house or condominium, your landlord’s insurance does not cover the things you own. A renters policy covers your belongings; some policies also cover your living expenses if you cannot live in your home because of an insured loss, and renters insurance may also protect you from lawsuits alleging negligence.
Homeowners and renters insurance (Insurance Department)
The law: RSA 417-B:1
If your insurer cancels or will not renew your policy
An insurer may not cancel or refuse to write or renew your policy solely because of your age, where you live, your race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status or lawful occupation, because another insurer turned you down, or on your credit information alone.
Once a policy has been in effect for 90 days, or once it has been renewed, the insurer may cancel it only if you do not pay the premium, are convicted of a crime that increases a hazard insured against, commit fraud or material misrepresentation in a claim, act with gross negligence that substantially increases a hazard, make physical changes that leave the property uninsurable, or ask it to.
It must send written notice that states its specific reasons, at least 45 days before the cancellation or nonrenewal takes effect, or 10 days for not paying or in the first 90 days of a new policy.
The law: RSA 417-B:2, RSA 417-B:2-a, RSA 417-B:3, RSA 417-B:4

After a loss, or a dispute

If you have a loss: filing a claim
Tell your insurance company about the loss as your policy directs, and keep a record of what you send and when. The law treats it as an unfair claim settlement practice for an insurer, without just cause, to fail to act promptly on what you send about a claim, to fail to try in good faith to settle fairly and promptly once its liability is reasonably clear, or to fail to say whether it covers the claim within a reasonable time after you send the proof of loss forms.
The law: RSA 417:4
If you disagree with your insurer: complain to the Insurance Department
The New Hampshire Insurance Department takes complaints about insurance companies and agents. Its Filing a Complaint page has an online complaint form, and a printable Consumer Complaint Form to mail or fax to the Department. If you complain for someone else, such as a spouse, an adult child or a friend, also send its Release of Information Form. A Consumer Services Officer reviews what you send and, if the Department has authority over it, forwards it to the company or agent for a response; if not, the officer refers it to the agency that has and tells you by letter. The Department is not always able to get you the remedy you want. The Insurance Commissioner may examine and investigate an insurer’s practices.
With a question, call Consumer Services at (603) 271-2261, toll free in New Hampshire at 1-800-852-3416, or email [email protected].
If the Department finds that an insurer broke the law and its finding becomes final, a consumer harmed by the practice may sue the insurer for the loss, and one who wins also recovers the cost of the suit, reasonable attorney’s fees included. If the Department takes no action within 120 days of receiving your complaint, that counts as a finding of no violation, which you may appeal.
File a complaint (Insurance Department)
The law: RSA 417:5, RSA 417:19, RSA 417:20