Greensboro, NC Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Section 11-8 puts four emergency repair duties on the owner of a Greensboro rental. Within 48 hours after being notified in writing, the owner must repair any broken, burst, frozen or inoperable plumbing pipe or fixture, repair any exposed or unsafe wiring, repair or replace unsafe or dangerous cooking or heating equipment that the owner provided, and repair or replace owner-provided fuel storage tanks and supply lines that are leaking, improperly supported or dangerous. When the water or utility account is in the owner's name, the duty includes restoring service. The 48-hour clock starts with written notice, so a tenant who wants to hold the landlord to it should put the request in writing. Under section 11-7 the owner stays liable even when the occupant shares the duty or the lease pushes the duty onto the tenant, although an owner is not penalized under sections 11-40 and 11-42 for violations caused solely by tenants, tenants' guests or invitees.

Section 11-10 lists the conditions that make a residential building unfit for human habitation. The inspector determines a building is unfit on finding walls or studs that seriously list, lean or buckle; supporting members with 33 percent or more damage or deterioration; nonsupporting members, enclosing or outside walls or covering with 50 percent or more; floors or roofs that are overloaded or too weak to be reasonably safe; fire or wind damage that makes the building unsafe; dilapidation or unsanitary conditions dangerous to occupants; inadequate egress in case of fire or panic; inadequate ventilation, light, heating or sanitary facilities; and missing electrical, heating or plumbing facilities that create a definite safety hazard.

Subsection (a)(10) is the mold rule. Visible microbial growth exceeding approximately 10 square feet, growth associated with moisture intrusion (including reoccurring growth), and water-damaged or microbial-impacted porous materials that cleaning alone cannot fix must be corrected to standard industry removal and cleaning practices, including drying to acceptable moisture levels and repair of the moisture source. Extensive, complex or HVAC-related growth must be remediated by qualified personnel, and the code allows an independent third-party evaluation. Subsection (b) adds a numeric trigger: a dwelling unit with more than five separate types of violations of the chapter's minimum standards is construed as unfit, and the inspector shall so find. The Minimum Housing Code is enforced by the chief of code compliance as public officer, and Greensboro also adopts the International Property Maintenance Code chapters through section 11-56.