Hiring a Real Estate Lawyer in New Hampshire
What a home seller in New Hampshire must disclose, how foreclosure works, how to check a lawyer's license, and free help. We do not recommend or rank lawyers.
What a lawyer costs in New Hampshire: fee rules
| If you disagree with a lawyer's bill | The New Hampshire Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Committee tries to resolve disputes between NH attorneys and clients that fall short of an ethics violation, including fee questions. The service is free and voluntary; if the attorney declines, the committee cannot proceed. It does not handle fees set by statute, agency rule or court order, or disputes in pending litigation. Send a written notice (names, the attorney's role, whether a case is pending, the facts, the resolution you want and your contact details) to NH Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Committee, 2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300, Concord, NH 03301, or email NHBA.DRC@nhbar.org. |
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| If a lawyer takes your money | The Public Protection Fund, administered by the New Hampshire Bar Association under Supreme Court Rule 55, reimburses money or property lost through theft or misappropriation by a New Hampshire attorney in New Hampshire, within a client-attorney relationship or while the attorney served as a fiduciary (such as trustee, guardian or conservator), for thefts after June 1, 1998. File within three years of when you discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) the theft, and never more than one year after the attorney is suspended, disbarred, dies or is judged incompetent. The Fund is a last resort: you must show reasonable efforts to collect from the attorney's assets, insurance and sureties, the law firm, and other liable third parties. Send the Statement of Claim form to the NH Bar Association, 2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300, Concord, NH 03301, Attn: Public Protection Fund Committee; phone 603-715-3289. |
New Hampshire rules to know first
| What a home seller must disclose | New Hampshire requires specific written disclosures rather than one general form. Before or while an offer is prepared for a one-to-four family home, the seller must disclose in writing information about any private water supply, private sewage disposal system, insulation, whether the property is in a federally designated flood hazard zone, and any residential heating-oil underground storage tank; the buyer signs to acknowledge receipt. Before a purchase contract is signed for property with a building, the seller must also disclose water supply and sewage system information, and the seller or agent must give the buyer the statutory notification about radon, arsenic, lead, PFAS and flood risk. |
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| How foreclosure works | Both. A lender holding a mortgage with a power of sale may foreclose out of court by giving the required notices and selling the property under the power, instead of bringing a court suit and decree of sale. A court case can also end in a decree that the property be sold under the power. |
| Foreclosure timeline | The statute sets minimum notice periods before a power-of-sale foreclosure: at least 45 days' mailed or served notice to the borrower for a residential mortgage (25 days otherwise), at least 21 days' notice to recorded lienholders, and newspaper publication for 3 successive weeks starting at least 20 days before the sale. After the sale, the foreclosure deed, notice and affidavit must be recorded within 60 days; title passes to the buyer when they are recorded. |
| HOA foreclosure | For condominiums, the unit owners' association has a lien for unpaid assessments once it records a sworn memorandum of lien within 6 months after the assessment was due. The lien is ahead of other liens except real estate taxes, liens recorded before the declaration, and first mortgages held by institutional lenders, but up to 6 months of regular monthly assessments (plus collection costs, including reasonable attorney's fees) can have priority over the first mortgage if the association gives the required notices. A suit to enforce the lien must be brought within 6 years after the memorandum is recorded. After 30 days' written notice, an association may also cut off a delinquent unit's common privileges and association-paid services until assessments are paid. The section refers to suits to enforce the lien but does not spell out a foreclosure-by-sale procedure; associations that are not condominiums depend on their recorded documents. Source: N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 356-B:46 |
Find and check a lawyer
| Lawyer referral service | The New Hampshire Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) helps people find a qualified, conveniently located attorney. Call 603-229-0002 and a referral specialist will help clarify your legal issue and refer you to an attorney who handles that type of issue, or use the online referral. LRS charges a nonrefundable $25 administrative fee. The page also links to reduced-fee services. |
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| Check discipline history or file a complaint | The New Hampshire Supreme Court's Attorney Discipline Office (4 Chenell Drive, Suite 102, Concord, NH 03301; 603-224-5828) handles misconduct complaints and can tell you whether complaints have been filed against a lawyer. A grievance is a letter giving the attorney's name and address, a description of the legal matter, a detailed factual account with dates, relevant documents and the proof you would offer (including witnesses). It must be signed under oath: sign the Oath Form before a notary public or justice of the peace, complete the Certification of Copies Form, attach both, and send a copy of the letter and enclosures to the attorney. Grievances cannot be filed by email or fax because they need original signatures. Public disciplinary decisions can be searched on the Attorney Discipline System site. Office address and phone as listed by the NH Bar Association: https://www.nhbar.org/dispute-with-an-attorney/ |
Free legal help
| Free legal aid | 603 Legal Aid generally helps people with low incomes with civil legal problems. Apply online (24/7) or by phone at (603) 224-3333 (intake calls Monday-Wednesday, 9:00 am-12:30 pm; no intake calls Thursday or Friday). After you apply, 603 Legal Aid may schedule a phone appointment for free legal advice, and you may be able to get free legal help. The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) lists 603 Legal Aid as the LSC-funded grantee in the state. LSC grantee list: https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/our-grantees |
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All legal help in New Hampshire · Background guide
Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.
How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.