{"data":{"id":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-42-43","jurisdiction":"us-nc","citation":"N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-43","heading":"Tenant to maintain dwelling unit.","body":"(a)\tThe tenant shall:\n(1)\tKeep that part of the premises that the tenant occupies and uses as clean and safe as the conditions of the premises permit and cause no unsafe or unsanitary conditions in the common areas and remainder of the premises that the tenant uses.\n(2)\tDispose of all ashes, rubbish, garbage, and other waste in a clean and safe manner.\n(3)\tKeep all plumbing fixtures in the dwelling unit or used by the tenant as clean as their condition permits.\n(4)\tNot deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, or remove any part of the premises, nor render inoperable the smoke alarm or carbon monoxide alarm provided by the landlord, or knowingly permit any person to do so.\n(5)\tComply with any and all obligations imposed upon the tenant by current applicable building and housing codes.\n(6)\tBe responsible for all damage, defacement, or removal of any property inside a dwelling unit in the tenant's exclusive control unless the damage, defacement or removal was due to ordinary wear and tear, acts of the landlord or the landlord's agent, defective products supplied or repairs authorized by the landlord, acts of third parties not invitees of the tenant, or natural forces.\n(7)\tNotify the landlord, in writing, of the need for replacement of or repairs to a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide alarm. The landlord shall ensure that a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm are operable and in good repair at the beginning of each tenancy. Unless the landlord and the tenant have a written agreement to the contrary, the landlord shall place new batteries in a battery-operated smoke alarm and battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm at the beginning of a tenancy and the tenant shall replace the batteries as needed during the tenancy, except where the smoke alarm is a tamper-resistant, 10-year lithium battery smoke alarm as required by G.S. 42-42(a)(5a). Failure of the tenant to replace the batteries as needed shall not be considered as negligence on the part of the tenant or the landlord.\n(b)\tThe landlord shall notify the tenant in writing of any breaches of the tenant's obligations under this section except in emergency situations. (1977, c. 770, s. 1; 1995, c. 111, s. 3; 1998-212, s. 17.16(j); 2008-219, s. 3; 2012-92, s. 2.)","path":["Chapter 42. Landlord and Tenant.","Article 5. Residential Rental Agreements."],"source_url":"https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_42/GS_42-43.html","current_through":"S.L. 2026-30","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T18:02:32Z","sha256":"9ddc984535f820c4f482c1d45e1fe883ed5bb5812dbe0fae5e378649081b3567","source_id":"us-nc","stale":false,"prev":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-42-42.3","next":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-42-44"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}