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: checkbook, calendar, returned mail
Security depositsFeatured

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
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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
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