New Mexico Landlord-Tenant Laws: Complete Residential Guide (2025)
Cover guide to New Mexico residential tenancy laws, covering the Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act, 2025 SB 267 reforms, and eviction rules.
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Residential landlord-tenant relationships in New Mexico are primarily governed by the Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act (UORRA) (NMSA 1978, Chapter 47, Article 8). The state generally balances landlord rights with tenant protections but implemented significant pro-tenant reforms in 2025 via Senate Bill 267.
Key New Mexico Landlord Laws at a Glance
Security Deposits New
Mexico links security deposit limits to the length of the lease:
- Leases under 1 year: The deposit cannot exceed one month's rent, and paying interest to the tenant is not required.
- Leases 1 year or longer: The deposit can exceed one month's rent. However, if it does, the landlord must pay the tenant annual interest on the entire deposit amount.
Landlords must return deposits (minus itemized deductions) within 30 days of lease termination, provided the tenant has supplied a forwarding address. Landlords who fail to comply forfeit the right to keep any deposit.
For more detail, see our Security Deposits guide.
Eviction Process The New Mexico eviction process relies on short notice periods:
- 3-Day Notice: Given for non-payment of rent or substantial lease violations (e.g., criminal activity).
- 7-Day Notice: Given for standard, curable lease violations. If the tenant repeats the violation within 6 months, a 7-day unconditional quit notice can be served.
Self-help evictions (changing locks, shutting off utilities) are illegal and can result in civil penalties for the landlord.
For more detail, see our Eviction Process guide.
Rent Increases New Mexico enforces a statewide ban on local rent control ordinances (The Rent Control Preemption Act of 1991). While a 2025 bill (SB 216) attempted to repeal this ban, it was postponed indefinitely, meaning landlords are free to raise rent to market rates. However, a 30-day written notice is required for month-to-month tenancies or for increases at the end of a lease term.
For more detail, see our Rent Increases guide.
Major 2025 Legislative Changes (SB 267)
Signed into law in April 2025, Senate Bill 267 introduced critical updates to the UORRA:
- Late Fee Reduction: The maximum allowable late fee was slashed from 10% to 5% of the periodic rent. Late fees can no longer be charged on utilities or other non-rent charges.
- Screening Fee Rules: Landlords are capped at a $50 screening fee. cover, applicants can only be charged one screening fee within a 90-day period across different landlords if they share the screening report. The fee must be refunded if the unit was already rented or screening didn't occur.
- Fee Transparency: All rental listings must now explicitly itemize all costs and mandatory fees upfront. Violations are now classified under the Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Explore more New Mexico residential compliance topics:
How Landager Helps
Landager tracks lease terms, payment schedules, and maintenance requests - making it easy to stay compliant with New Mexico regulations.
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