New Hampshire Legislation Will Protect Homebuyers from Predatory Contracts

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Land Title Association (ALTA), the national trade association of the land title insurance industry, AARP and the New England Land Title Association (NELTA) applaud the General Court of New Hampshire for passing Senate Bill (SB) 164, which includes provisions protecting homeowners from the predatory practice of filing unfair real estate fee agreements in property records, known as Non-Title Recorded Agreements for Personal Services (NTRAPS). The new law will make NTRAPS unenforceable.

"The property rights of American homeowners must be safeguarded," said Elizabeth Blosser, ALTA's chief of strategy, communications and innovation. "It is essential to ensure there are no unreasonable restraints on a homeowner's ability to sell or refinance their home in the future due to unwarranted transaction costs."

"The passage of SB 164 is a continuation of AARP's advocacy efforts, undertaken in collaboration with ALTA in other states, to put an end to this harmful practice," said AARP Government Affairs Director Samar Jha. "We look forward to working on similar legislative solutions in more states to help protect homeowners against this predatory real estate practice."

SB 164 follows the objective of similar bills introduced across the country to provide a remedy for existing NTRAPS while also discouraging these types of unfair practices impacting homeowners.

"The New England Land Title Association appreciates the work conducted by the legislature and the governor to curb this type of predatory practice and protect the consumers of New Hampshire," said NELTA Executive Director Mark Bennett CAE.

"This legislation is a critical step forward in protecting New Hampshire homeowners—especially older adults—from deceptive and predatory real estate practices," said Christina FitzPatrick, AARP New Hampshire state director. "By prohibiting these unfair agreements, SB 164 helps ensure that Granite Staters can maintain control over one of their most important assets: their homes. We commend the New Hampshire House and Senate and Gov. Ayotte for taking action to safeguard property rights and financial security for residents across the state."

The bill will:

• Make NTRAPS unenforceable by law.
• Restrict and prohibit the recording of NTRAPS in property records.
• Create penalties if NTRAPS are recorded in property records.
• Provide for the removal of NTRAPS from property records and recovery of damages.

A total of 33 states have passed NTRAPS legislation. New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed the legislation on July 15, 2025.

About ALTA
The American Land Title Association, founded in 1907, is a national trade association representing more than 6,000 title insurance companies, title and settlement agents, independent abstracters, title searchers and real estate attorneys. ALTA members conduct title searches, examinations, closings and issue title insurance that protects real property owners and mortgage lenders against losses from defects in titles.

Contact: Megan Hernandez 
Office: 202-261-0315     
Email: mhernandez@alta.org

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SOURCE American Land Title Association