Free North Carolina Rental Lease Agreement Templates | PDF

North Carolina Rental Lease Agreement Templates

A North Carolina lease agreement represents an arrangement made between two (2) parties regarding the use of residential or commercial space. It is typically furnished by the property owner (or their agent) to a prospective tenant after there has been a verbal discussion about the general terms. These terms will include the rent amount, lease period, and security deposit.

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Last updated February 26th, 2026

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A North Carolina lease agreement represents an arrangement made between two (2) parties regarding the use of residential or commercial space. It is typically furnished by the property owner (or their agent) to a prospective tenant after there has been a verbal discussion about the general terms. These terms will include the rent amount, lease period, and security deposit.

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Rental Application: Landlords use this tool specifically to evaluate an incoming tenant’s rental, financial, and criminal background.

Lease Agreements By Type

Association of Realtors Version (Form 410-T): The state’s Realtor group’s residential lease for the purpose of documenting the obligations of landlord and tenant.

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Commercial Lease Agreement: Summarizes the provisions, period length, and pricing of the lease of real estate for a business entity solely for company use.

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Lease to Own Agreement: A written testimony accounting for the terms of renting a property, in addition to offering an option to buy upon termination.

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Month-to-Month Lease: A rental contract with a monthly term that automatically renews; however, either landlord or tenant may terminate with 30 days’ notice.

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Roommate Agreement: The lease contract between two tenants (or more) where their financial and household obligations are explicitly spelled out.

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Standard Lease Agreement: A statement capturing the terms and agreements (in detail) that the landlord and tenant agree abide by.

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Storage Lease Agreement: Specifically for exchanges involving the rental of storage space for a monetary sum.

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Sublease Agreement: Presents the details involving a master tenant offering a lease arrangement to a subtenant.

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Additional Forms

Assistance Animal Addendum (Form 443-T): Landlords use this to obtain information on a tenant’s assistance animal as well as solidify relevant provisions.

Maintenance Addendum (Form 440-T): A useful form whenever the lease agreement requires further elaboration on the tenant’s maintenance obligations.

Pet Addendum (Form 442-T): This paperwork is useful when the landlord requires more information on a tenant’s pet, while presenting additional provisions.

Working with Real Estate Agents Disclosure (Form 521): Real estate agents supply a copy of this form to their client(s) to specifically define their duties.

Required Landlord Disclosures

Location of Security Deposit (§ 42-50): Landlords have 30 days from contract commencement to specifically identify the bank or insurance bond company holding the security deposit.

Lead-Based Paint (42 U.S. Code § 4852d) – Houses and apartments that were constructed before 1979 are held to an additional standard of notification of the possible threat that lead-composed paints suggest. The landlord must distribute materials to educate the tenant on the precautions that should be taken and issues that could arise when coming into contact with the hazardous matter.

When is Rent Due?

Grace Period: North Carolina specifically sets a 5-day grace period starting from the day when rent is due (NC. GS. § 42-46(a)).
Unpaid Rent: Landlords issue a 10-day notice to pay the rent, explicitly warning of eviction proceedings otherwise. (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-3).

Late Fee

Whenever rent is paid monthly, landlords may charge up to a $15 or 5% of rent as a late fee (NC GS. § 42-46).

NSF Fee

Landlords may charge up to a $35 dollar fee for processing a bad or bounced check. (NC. GS. § 25-3-506).

Security Deposit Maximum ($)

A lease in North Carolina may require up to 2 months’ rent as a security deposit; however, monthly at-will leases may only require 1.5 months (NC. GS. § 42-51(b)).

Security Deposit Return

Returning to Tenant: Tenants must receive their security deposit from landlords within 30 days of lease termination, accordingly (NC. GS. § 42-52).
Itemized List: Tenants must also receive a list of the deductions from the security in writing within 30 days (with a final account within 60 days) (NC. GS. § 42-52).

Landlord’s Right to Enter

Standard Entry: North Carolina does not regulate landlord entry beyond habitability thus leaving such protocols up to the lease.
Emergency Entry: Generally, North Carolina landlords may access and enter a residence when emergencies dictate an immediate response.

Absence

Landlords post a notice of suspected abandonment inside and outside the property in question, then assume abandonment after 10 days (NC. GS. § 42-25.9).

Repair and Deduct

North Carolina explicitly expects to issue a notice to repair to landlords and then take civil action through the courts (NC. GS. § 42-42).

When a Tenant Terminates (early)

Duty to Mitigate: Landlords must seek new tenants and relet the property (Isbey v. Crews, 284 S.E.2d 534, 537–38 (NC Ct. App. 1981)).
Domestic Violence: Domestic violence victims issue a 30-day notice to terminate with court orders and other proofs accordingly (NC. GS. § 42-45.1(a))
Military Service: Military personnel dissolve a lease with 30 days’ notice for either deployment or reassignment (50 USC 3955).
Landlord Noncompliance: North Carolina only allows tenants court remedies (e.g., civil action) rather than approving early lease termination (NC. GS. § 42-44(a)).
Landlord Harassment: Whenever landlords continually harass, tenants may make a case for constructive eviction (Taha v. Thompson, 463 S.E.2d 553 (N.C. Ct. App. 1995)).
Inhabitability: Tenants use the court to address inhabitability issues since North Carolina explicitly mandates they maintain all city and state codes (NC. GS. § 42-42).

Is an Oral Lease enforceable?

Oral leases under three years are enforceable in North Carolina, but once this time elapses, they must be in writing (NC. GS. § 22-2).

Renewing a Lease

Regardless of whether a lease in renewal or not, no county in North Carolina may regulate a lease’s rent requirements (NC. GS. § 42-14.1)

Unclaimed Property

Landlords must wait for 10 days after posting a notice of abandonment or 7 days after a successful eviction before disposing of property (NC. GS. § 42-25.9).

Landlord-Tenant Laws

The state’s general assembly has an online catalog describing, at length, the many legalities constituting North Carolina General Statutes §42 – Landlord and Tenant regulation.
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