The bill establishes a Landlord Housing Incentive Program and Fund within the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority to encourage landlords to lease housing units to recipients of housing choice vouchers and similar rental assistance programs. The program will provide financial incentives to landlords and assist voucher recipients with costs associated with securing a lease, such as security deposits. Public housing authorities and non-profit organizations committed to housing may participate in the program and receive grants to establish their own landlord incentive programs. The fund will consist of appropriations, gifts, grants, donations, bequests, or other money from public or private sources, and the state's faith and credit are not pledged to it. The authority may use up to 10% of the fund annually for administrative costs.
The bill also includes an appropriation of $1,000,000 from the General Fund to the Landlord Housing Incentive Fund for the fiscal year 2025. This appropriation is in addition to any other funds appropriated to the housing finance authority. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2024. The fiscal note indicates that the bill does not commit the state to future funding beyond the initial appropriation, and it does not authorize new positions. The bill does not specify whether additional General Funds or other funding sources will be deposited into the Landlord Housing Incentive Fund in the fiscal year 2026 and beyond.