Chapel Hill, NC Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Section 9-23 of the Housing Code lets a tenant complaint reach a formal hearing without the inspector acting alone. A petition can come from a public authority or from at least five residents of the town, or the inspector can act on his own motion, alleging that a dwelling or dwelling unit is unfit for human habitation. If the inspector's preliminary investigation finds a basis for the charge, he must issue and serve a written complaint on the owner and any parties in interest, stating the charges and setting a hearing not less than ten days nor more than thirty days after service.

The owner may file an answer and appear with testimony, and the inspector must also notify at least one of the petition's signers of the hearing date; any other interested person may attend and give evidence, and the rules of evidence used in courts do not control the inspector's hearing. Section 9-23(b) also lets the owner and other parties in interest skip a contested process by filing a written statement agreeing the dwelling is unfit, agreeing to demolition by the town, and accepting that the demolition cost becomes a lien on the property; once filed, the inspector may proceed with demolition without the rest of the division's procedures.

After the hearing, § 9-24 requires the inspector to issue a written determination of whether the dwelling is deteriorated or dilapidated, which sets the repair or demolition timeline that follows.