New legislation would require NH leases to assign responsibility for snow, ice removal

MANCHESTER, N.H. —

New Hampshire lawmakers will take up a proposal in the new year aimed at clarifying snow removal responsibilities in landlord-tenant agreements.

Rep. Lily Foss, D-Manchester, said the bill would eliminate confusion for renters about who is responsible for clearing snow and ice.

"My last place, the landlord said that he was going to do snow removal and he never did," Foss said.

The bill would require lease agreements to explicitly state who is responsible for removing snow and ice from a property.

"It's really in everyone's best interest if we know who's responsible for it," Foss said. "I talked to some landlord friends of mine, and they also thought, 'Oh yeah, this is good because it makes people think about it.'"

The legislation also includes a default, saying: "U