According to G.S. § 42-43(a), the tenant of a rental unit shall:
(A) Keep that part of the premises that the tenant occupies and uses as clean and safe as the conditions of the premises permit and cause no unsafe or unsanitary conditions in the common areas and remainder of the premises that the tenant uses;
(B) Dispose of all ashes, rubbish, garbage and other waste in a clean and safe manner;
(C) Keep all plumbing fixtures in the dwelling unit or used by the tenant as clean as their condition permits;
(D) Not deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage or remove any part of the premises, nor render inoperable the smoke detector provided by the landlord, or knowingly permit any person to do so;
(E) Comply with any and all obligations imposed upon the tenant by current applicable building and housing codes;
(F) Be responsible for all damage, defacement or removal of any property inside a dwelling unit in the tenant's exclusive control unless the damage, defacement or removal was due to ordinary wear and tear, acts of the landlord or the landlord's agent, defective products supplied or repairs authorized by the landlord, acts of third parties not invitees of the tenant, or natural forces; and
(G) Notify the landlord, in writing, of the need for replacement of or repairs to a smoke detector. The landlord shall ensure that a smoke detector is operable and in good repair at the beginning of each tenancy. Unless the landlord and the tenant have a written agreement to the contrary, the landlord shall place new batteries in a battery-operated smoke detector at the beginning of a tenancy and the tenant shall replace the batteries as needed during the tenancy. Failure of the tenant to replace the batteries as needed shall not be considered as negligence on the part of the tenant or the landlord.
(Ord. passed - -2007)