The LawPassport Report

Reporting on rental housing in North Carolina.

Investigations, plain-language explainers, and resolution stories. Sourced from public records and the cases we send.

Documentary photo: a returned security-deposit check on a kitchen table
Security DepositsFeatured

How to get your security deposit back in North Carolina

Your NC landlord has 30 days to return your deposit or send an itemized list — or they forfeit the right to keep any of it. Here's the law, the deadline, and how to get your money back.

Issa Hall, Esq.2026-06-268 min read
Filter
Documentary photo: an eviction notice taped to an apartment door
EVICTIONS

The NC eviction process and timeline, step by step

An eviction in North Carolina isn't instant, and your landlord can't do it themselves. Here's every stage — from the first notice to the writ — and where you still have leverage.

Issa Hall, Esq.2026-06-289 min read
Documentary photo: a returned security-deposit check on a kitchen table
SECURITY DEPOSITS

How to get your security deposit back in North Carolina

Your NC landlord has 30 days to return your deposit or send an itemized list — or they forfeit the right to keep any of it. Here's the law, the deadline, and how to get your money back.

Issa Hall, Esq.2026-06-268 min read
Documentary photo: checkbook, calendar, returned mail
SECURITY DEPOSITS

The 30-day rule: what NC law actually says about your security deposit

A plain-language guide to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-52, the statute that decides whether your landlord owes you double.

Issa Hall, Esq.2026-05-188 min read
Documentary photo: a leaking ceiling and a bucket
HABITABILITY

How long does a landlord have to make repairs in NC?

There's no magic number of days — but the implied warranty of habitability gives you real leverage once you put the request in writing.

Issa Hall, Esq.2026-05-156 min read
Documentary photo: mold along a bathroom ceiling
HABITABILITY

Can I break my lease because of mold in North Carolina?

Mold can make a unit legally uninhabitable — but breaking a lease cleanly takes the right steps in the right order.

Issa Hall, Esq.2026-05-107 min read
Documentary photo: a kitchen baseboard with sticky traps
HABITABILITY

Do landlords have to pay for pest control in NC rentals?

Roaches, bedbugs, mice — when an infestation is the landlord's responsibility, and how to make them act on it.

Hall & Dixon, PLLC2026-05-046 min read
Documentary photo: a typed letter and a certified-mail receipt
SECURITY DEPOSITS

How to write a demand letter to your landlord

A demand letter is the cheapest, most effective first step in most NC tenant disputes. Here's what goes in one.

Issa Hall, Esq.2026-04-307 min read
Documentary photo: a county courthouse entrance
EVICTIONS

How to sue your landlord in small-claims court in NC

North Carolina's magistrate court is built for tenants: no lawyer required, low filing fee, fast hearing.

Hall & Dixon, PLLC2026-04-229 min read
Documentary photo: a city code-violation notice on a door
HABITABILITY

Can I call code enforcement on my landlord in NC?

Yes — and a city inspection can create exactly the kind of independent, dated record that makes a landlord act.

Hall & Dixon, PLLC2026-04-165 min read
Documentary photo: a row of poorly maintained apartments
INVESTIGATION

How to report a slumlord in North Carolina

Documenting a negligent landlord protects you — and, on a public record, it protects the next tenant too.

Hall & Dixon, PLLC2026-04-106 min read
The weekly brief

One email a week. New filings, new investigations, new rights.

What changed in NC rental law and what we published. No marketing. Unsubscribe in one click.

Free. Reader-supported. We never share your address.