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

Section 11-8 imposes a hard 48-hour clock on Greensboro landlords: after written notification, the owner must repair any broken, burst, frozen, or inoperable plumbing pipe or fixture (including restoring water service billed in the owner's name), repair exposed or unsafe wiring, repair or replace unsafe cooking or heating equipment the owner provided, and repair or replace leaking or dangerous fuel storage tanks and supply lines. Section 11-10 then defines when a residential building crosses the line into 'unfit for human habitation,' a finding the inspector makes if the building shows listing or buckling walls, supporting members with 33 percent or more damage or deterioration (or non-supporting walls at 50 percent or more), overloaded or insufficiently strong floors or roofs, fire or wind damage rendering the building unsafe, dilapidation or unsanitary conditions dangerous to occupants, inadequate fire egress, defects that significantly increase fire or accident hazards, inadequate ventilation, light, heating or sanitary facilities, missing electrical, heating, or plumbing facilities that create a health or safety hazard, or visible microbial growth exceeding roughly 10 square feet tied to moisture intrusion.

A dwelling with more than five separate types of code violations is automatically deemed unfit regardless of severity. § 42-42(a)(8): unsafe wiring, flooring, ceilings, roofs, or chimneys; no potable water; inoperable exterior locks; broken ground-floor windows; heat that can't reach 65°F when it's 20°F outside from November through March; no operable toilet, tub, or shower; rat infestation from structural gaps; or mosquito- or mold-causing standing water from plumbing or drainage failures.