Thinking about buying a rental property in New Hampshire? Whether you're dreaming of a lakeside Airbnb or planning a long-term investment, short-term rentals (STRs) in NH come with rules, risks, and more than a few surprises. Before you dive in, let’s pull back the curtain.
(If you're looking for the gloves-off version of this post, I wrote a deeper dive over at Trade Secrets: https://tradenhomes.com/tradesecrets. But let’s start here.)

What Is a Short-Term Rental (STR)?
A short-term rental is typically defined as a furnished property rented out for 30 days or less at a time. In New Hampshire, this often means Airbnb, Vrbo, and other vacation platforms.
Sounds simple, right? Not so fast.

STRs Are Legal – But Not Everywhere
There’s no statewide STR law in New Hampshire. Instead, each town sets its own rules—and they can change quickly.
Some towns (like Laconia and Conway) require permits or restrict STRs to certain zones. Others may prohibit th ...