Landlord Responsibility Statements

North Carolina Landlord Responsibility Statement 

Effective Date: November 1, 2025
Jurisdiction: State of North Carolina
Applies To: All landlords, property managers, agents and listing entities using Tentunit to list residential rental properties (including student-, young-professional and family housing) in North Carolina.

1. Purpose

This Statement defines the operational, legal, and ethical obligations that landlords must meet when listing properties via Tentunit in North Carolina. Use of the Tentunit platform constitutes the landlord’s acceptance of this Statement, Tentunit’s Terms of Service and Payment Terms, the Fair Housing & Equal Access Policy, and all applicable federal, state and local laws. This document is not legal advice; landlords should consult qualified counsel for full compliance.

2. Listing Accuracy, Transparency & Advertising Standards

Landlords must ensure all listings on Tentunit are truthful, complete, and up-to-date, accurately reflecting the property and the terms being offered.

Required Disclosures

Each listing must clearly disclose:

  • Monthly rent amount, lease term (start/end or renewal/notice) and earliest availability date.
  • All one-time and recurring fees: application/screening fees, move-in/administrative fees, pet fees or deposits, parking/amenity fees, utility re-billing/allocation charges.
  • Security deposit amount (or fee-in-lieu if permitted) and full disclosure of the conditions under which it may be withheld and timeframe for return.
  • Utility responsibilities: which utilities tenant pays vs landlord; if sub-metering or allocation is used, method disclosed.
  • Photographs and description must represent the actual unit offered, not a model unit unless clearly disclosed as such.
  • Screening criteria: income/credit/rental history thresholds, guarantor/co-signer policy, student eligibility or age for young-professional housing, roommate policies if applicable.
  • Availability: The listing must represent a unit that is genuinely available for lease; if status changes (leased, held, unavailable) the listing must be promptly updated or removed.

Prohibited Practices

  • Advertising units that are not genuinely available for lease without timely updating of availability status.
  • Misrepresenting key facts: number of bedrooms/bathrooms, square footage, finishes/condition, view/amenities, location.
  • Using “starting at” or “from” pricing without full disclosure of eligibility, unit availability timing and conditions.
  • Omitting material fees or using hidden cost structures so that a reasonable renter is misled about total cost.
  • Bait-and-switch: advertising one unit/terms and offering materially different unit/terms without full disclosure.

Legal/Regulatory Context

Under North Carolina law, the landlord-tenant relationship is governed by the General Statutes Chapter 42. For example, the Tenant Security Deposit Act (Article 6) outlines deposit storage, amounts and return obligations. Listings and advertising must also comply with federal truth-in-advertising, consumer protection and fair-housing obligations.

3. Fair Housing & Equal Access

Landlords must comply with:

  • The federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. §3601 et seq.)
  • North Carolina statutes and any local ordinance prohibiting discrimination in housing.
    Landlords must:
  • Apply neutral, consistently enforced screening criteria to all applicants, regardless of protected classes (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status).
  • Provide reasonable accommodations/modifications for persons with disabilities when required by law.
  • Avoid discriminatory or exclusionary language or practices in advertising, screening, communications or leasing decisions.
  • Maintain documentation of screening criteria, decisions, and any accommodation/modification requests.

4. Communication Standards & Platform Responsiveness

To support Tentunit’s student/young-professional rental focus and maintain platform integrity, landlords must maintain timely, documented communication:

  • Acknowledge listing inquiries, application submissions, maintenance/repair requests via Tentunit (or another documented channel) within 24 hours, and provide a substantive status update within 48 hours.
  • Keep applicants informed of their status (approved, denied, wait-list) and keep tenants informed of scheduled entries, inspections, maintenance or changes in lease/house-rules.
  • Keep listing data current if rent, fees, availability, amenities, photos or policies change, update the listing promptly.
  • Communicate professionally, respectfully and nondiscriminatory. Repeated failures or abusive/discriminatory behavior may result in listing suspension or account termination by Tentunit.

5. Lease Execution, Legal Compliance & Contract Terms

All leases executed via Tentunit (or for units listed via Tentunit) in North Carolina must comply with state law and reflect best-practice standards.

Required Lease Elements & Obligations

  • Use a written lease (or properly documented electronic equivalent). North Carolina law allows tenancy without written lease but a written agreement is strongly recommended to ensure clarity and enforcement.
  • Lease must include full legal name and address of the landlord/agent for notices/service of process.
  • Lease must clearly specify: rent amount and due date; lease term (fixed or periodic); renewal/termination mechanics; security deposit amount and how it is held; all recurring or one-time fees; utility responsibilities; screening criteria; if applicable student/young professional terms (roommates, sub-letting, early termination).
  • Lease must include required disclosures: e.g., federal Lead-Based Paint hazard for pre-1978 units; any state/local required disclosures.
  • Lease must not include terms that attempt to waive tenant’s statutory rights or permit unlawful “self-help” eviction practices (lock-outs, utility shut-off).
  • Termination/notice provisions must align with North Carolina law governing summary ejectments and tenancy end. 

6. Habitability, Maintenance & Repair Obligations

Landlords must deliver and maintain rental premises in safe, habitable, clean and code-compliant condition under North Carolina law.
Key obligations include:

  • Maintain structural components: roof, walls, floors, windows/doors, stairways/porches/handrails in safe and usable condition.
  • Provide and maintain functioning utilities/systems if specified: plumbing, electrical, sanitation, locks/egress—reasonably safe.
  • Respond in a reasonable timeframe to conditions materially affecting health or safety. North Carolina law may not prescribe a single timeframe for all conditions; best practice is prompt response.
  • Maintain documentation: tenant repair request date/time, vendor/work-order number, completion date/time, tenant communication, before/after photos.
  • Landlord must not retaliate against tenant for exercising legal rights (repair requests, deposit claims, complaint filings).

7. Entry, Inspections & Tenant Privacy

Landlords must respect tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment of premises and ensure access is lawful and documented:

  • While North Carolina law doesn’t specify a fixed statewide mandatory notice for all entry, many local jurisdictions expect at least 24 hours written notice for non-emergency entry. Tentunit standards require notice and documentation.
  • Entry may occur for: repairs, inspections, showing unit to prospective tenants/purchasers, agreed improvements, or other lease-specified purposes.
  • Landlord should document: notice sent (date/time), actual entry (date/time), purpose, persons present, condition observed, and photographs where applicable.
  • At move-out, a walkthrough inspection with the tenant and use of a condition checklist with timestamped photos is strongly recommended to support deposit handling.

8. Security Deposit Handling & Administration

North Carolina law under Article 6 of Chapter 42 (Tenant Security Deposit Act) sets rules for security deposits. 

Key Rules

  • Deposit amount caps:
    • For week-to-week tenancy: maximum deposit = two weeks’ rent. § 42-51(b).
    • For month-to-month tenancy: maximum deposit = one and one-half (1.5) months’ rent.
    • For tenancy with term longer than month-to-month: maximum deposit = two months’ rent.
  • Holding requirements: Security deposit must be deposited in a trust account at a licensed/federally insured bank or institution in North Carolina, or landlord may furnish a bond from an insurance company licensed in North Carolina. Landlord/agent must notify tenant within 30 days of the beginning of lease term of the bank name/address or insurance company name. § 42-50.
  • Allowed uses of deposit: Landlord may apply deposit for unpaid rent, unpaid water/sewer/electric charges, damage to premises (including destruction of smoke/carbon monoxide alarms), non-fulfillment of rental period, unpaid bills/liens, cost of re-renting premises after tenant breach, cost of removal/storage of tenant’s property after summary ejectment, court costs. § 42-51(a).
  • Return timeframe & itemization: Upon termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession, landlord must either refund deposit (if no deductions) or provide a written itemized list of damages/deductions and send the balance to the tenant no later than 30 days. If actual costs cannot yet be determined, an interim accounting must be provided within 30 days and final accounting within 60 days. § 42-52.
  • Transfer of deposit upon ownership change: If landlord transfers property interest (sale, assignment, death, etc.), within 30 days landlord/agent must either transfer remaining deposit to successor and notify tenant or return deposit to tenant. § 42-54.
  • Tenant remedies for non-compliance: If landlord fails to account or refund deposit timely, tenant may bring a civil action; if willful non-compliance is found, the court may award attorney’s fees. § 42-55.

Tentunit Requirements for Landlords

  • Use a move-in condition checklist, signed by landlord/agent and tenant, with date-stamped photographs at the start of tenancy.
  • Listing and lease must clearly disclose: security deposit amount; conditions for deduction; timeframe for return; institution where deposit is held or bond provided; tenant forwarding address requirement.
  • Maintain ledger/documentation: deposit collected date & amount; account/bond name & address; forwarding address; itemized deductions list; refund date and method of delivery.
  • Ensure deposit is refunded (or itemised list + balance) within statutory timeframe (30 days or interim/final accounting).
  • Avoid labeling deposit as “non-refundable” unless lawful and clearly disclosed; ensure transparency in listing and lease.
  • If property ownership/management changes during tenancy, ensure deposit transfer or tenant notification is handled in compliance with statute.

9. Student-Housing & Young-Professional Specific Standards

Because Tentunit is focused on students and young-professional renters, landlords must adopt elevated standards:

  • In listings disclose: proximity to campus/university, public-transit/parking policy/costs, sub-letting or early-lease-release policy, roommate/house-sharing policy, lease renewal/non-renewal process.
  • Provide digital onboarding materials tailored for younger renters: move-in guide, roommate/shared-housing rules (if relevant), utilities setup instructions, emergency contact information.
  • Avoid exploitative practices targeting students/young professionals (high non-refundable fees, misleading “student-only” claims without transparency, forced guarantor/co-signer without alternative).
  • Maintain accessible communication channels suited to younger renters (mobile/app messaging, after-hours support, clear roommate/house-rule expectations).
  • House-rules (cleaning/shared spaces, noise/guest policy, roommate obligations) must align with statutory tenant rights and lease provisions; they must be clearly disclosed in listing & lease and enforced consistently and fairly.

10. Documentation, Audit, Compliance & Platform Enforcement

Landlords must operate with institutional-level compliance and maintain full documentation; Tentunit retains strong enforcement rights.

Record-Keeping Requirements

Landlords must maintain, for each property/tenancy:

  • Listing metadata: upload date, photo version history, fee schedule changes, availability updates.
  • Screening/application logs: inquiry date/time, screening criteria applied, applications received, approvals/denials, communications.
  • Executed lease file: signed lease (digital or paper), any amendments/renewals, disclosures, guarantor/co-signer documentation if applicable.
  • Maintenance/repair logs: tenant request date/time, vendor/work-order number, completion date/time, tenant notifications, before/after photos.
  • Entry/inspection logs: notice sent date/time, actual entry date/time, purpose of entry, persons present, condition observed, photographs where applicable.
  • Security deposit records: deposit amount & date collected; account/bond institution; forwarding address documentation; itemised deduction statements (if any); refund date, method and proof of mailing/delivery.
  • Communication logs: tenant-landlord messages via Tentunit portal or other documented channel: listing inquiries, application status updates, maintenance scheduling, entries/inspection notices, lease renewal/termination communications.

Enforcement Rights of Tentunit

Tentunit may:

  • Audit landlord compliance (listing practices, lease documentation, maintenance/entry records, deposit handling) at any time without prior notice.
  • Suspend or remove listings for material or repeated non-compliance with this Statement, Tentunit policies or North Carolina/federal law.
  • Freeze or withhold landlord payouts tied to units flagged for unresolved compliance issues (deposit disputes, habitability complaints).
  • Terminate landlord’s platform account permanently for serious or repeated violations.
  • Report non-compliance or unlawful conduct to regulatory agencies (e.g., North Carolina Department of Justice, North Carolina Real Estate Commission) where applicable.
  • Seek recovery of damages, attorneys’ fees and enforcement costs incurred by Tentunit as a result of landlord non-compliance.

11. Indemnification

Landlord shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless Tentunit, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents and contractors from and against any and all claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to:

  • Landlord’s breach of this Statement or any Tentunit policy.
  • Landlord’s violation of federal, state or local housing/tenant-landlord laws/regulations.
  • Landlord’s mis-representation of listing, unit condition, availability, terms or fees.
  • Tenant claims or disputes arising from landlord’s acts or omissions.
  • Platform investigations or regulatory enforcement triggered by landlord non-compliance.

12. Governing Law & Reference Statutes

North Carolina Statutes & Reference Materials

Federal Law Foundations

  • Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.)
  • Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (units built before 1978)
  • Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) for eligible tenants