Can a North Carolina landlord raise rent at lease renewal?

Yes. The end of a fixed-term North Carolina lease is the typical (and statutorily safest) time for a rent increase. The landlord serves a renewal offer with the new rent, with at least the statutory notice period before the current term ends (North Carolina has no statewide advance notice specific to rent increases. NCGS 42-14 sets 1-month notice for year-to-year termination; 30-day month-to-month notice is the default practice for rent changes. No state rent cap.). The tenant has three options: accept and sign for the new term at the new rent, decline and vacate at term end, or stay past term end and convert to a holdover or month-to-month tenancy depending on state law. Where rent control applies, the renewal increase is capped at the statutory annual cap even at renewal. If the tenant continues paying the old rent past the renewal date without signing, North Carolina courts often treat this as acceptance of the new rent only if the landlord has given proper written notice and accepted the new payment.

Source: NCGS 42-14 (30-day month-to-month termination default)