A Landlord’s Guide to Renting in Merrimack County, New Hampshire
Merrimack County is New Hampshire’s capital county — geographically central, politically important, and economically anchored by state government employment in a way that gives its rental market a stability that more cyclical markets cannot match. Concord, the county seat and state capital, is the dominant force in the county’s rental market. The surrounding communities — Bow, Pembroke, Hooksett, and the smaller hill towns to the west — offer a quieter rural and suburban market that serves a different tenant profile entirely.
Concord: The Capital Market
Concord’s rental market is defined by its role as the seat of New Hampshire state government. State employees, legislators, lobbyists, nonprofit staff, and legal professionals form the backbone of the city’s tenant demand. This is a tenant pool with above-average income stability — state government jobs do not disappear in recessions in the way that private sector employment does — and above-average civic engagement, which correlates with tenants who understand their rights and exercise them when necessary.
Concord Hospital is the second major employment anchor. As one of NH’s largest hospitals, it employs thousands of nurses, physicians, technicians, and administrative staff who rent throughout Concord and the surrounding communities. Healthcare employment at Concord Hospital provides a reliable tenant pipeline that is less sensitive to political cycles than the state government workforce.
Rents in Concord run below the seacoast and southern NH markets but have risen meaningfully over the past several years as statewide housing supply tightened. A well-maintained two-bedroom apartment in Concord currently rents for $1,300–$1,600, with premium units near downtown or the State House commanding the upper end of that range. Concord’s older housing stock — Victorian and Colonial-era buildings in the downtown and South End neighborhoods — offers landlords higher gross rent multiples than newer suburban construction but requires active maintenance investment and lead paint compliance for pre-1978 buildings.
The Surrounding Communities
Bow, immediately south of Concord on the Merrimack River, is one of the most affluent communities in the county — a primarily owner-occupied suburb with limited rental inventory, strong schools, and a professional tenant base. What rental inventory exists in Bow commands premium rents and has very low vacancy. Pembroke and Hooksett, east of Concord along the Merrimack River and Route 3, serve a more working-class tenant base with lower acquisition costs and more accessible price points for cash-flow-oriented investors.
The western hill towns of the county — Andover, Warner, Bradford, and the communities surrounding Sunapee — are primarily rural markets with thin rental inventory. New London, home to Colby-Sawyer College, has a small student rental market but the town’s high owner-occupancy rate and limited inventory make it a niche market rather than a primary landlord destination.
RSA 540 in Merrimack County
Merrimack County landlords operate under the same RSA 540 framework as every other NH county. The restricted vs. nonrestricted property distinction is the critical threshold. Most of Concord’s multi-unit apartment buildings are restricted property requiring just cause — nonpayment, substantial damage, lease violation, health and safety behavior, or other good cause — to terminate a tenancy. Landlords who own no more than 3 single-family homes, or who own an owner-occupied building of 4 or fewer units, are nonrestricted and may terminate for any reason with 30 days notice.
The 7-day demand for rent notice for nonpayment is short by New England standards and gives Concord landlords a meaningful advantage over their Massachusetts counterparts in resolving nonpayment situations quickly. The payment cure right (RSA 540:9) allows tenants to pay all arrears plus $15 at any time before the hearing — an important cash flow planning consideration for landlords managing government-employed tenants whose pay delays occasionally result in late rent that ultimately gets paid in full.
Merrimack County landlord-tenant matters are governed by RSA Chapters 540 and 540-A. Nonpayment notice: 7 days. Other grounds: 30 days. Security deposit cap: greater of 1 month’s rent or $100. Return within 30 days; double damages for wrongful withholding. Restricted property requires just cause. No rent control. Evictions filed in NH Circuit Court — District Division, Concord. Consult a licensed NH attorney before taking legal action. Last updated: April 2026.
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