Durham County Register of Deeds
Use this county office for recorded deeds and land-record questions when the property is in Durham County.
Durham, NC seller help · Tenant-occupied property
You're done — no turnover, no repairs, no more bad tenants.
Yes. You can sell a Durham house with tenants still living there. USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Durham, North Carolina, and throughout Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties. A sale does not by itself cancel a lease, so the lease and occupancy remain part of the handoff.
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form below. You can start the conversation before deciding on a move-out plan.
Talk through your Durham tenant-occupied house
Share the property address and what you know about the lease, occupancy, access, repairs, deposits, and timing. Start with what you know; the details do not have to be organized first.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the address, lease, occupancy, access, repairs, and timing.
What we do
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
You don't always need to evict to sell to us. We buy houses with tenants in place — we've done it many times, including cash-for-keys when that works better for everyone.
Cash-for-keys is a move-out agreement that may include a payment to the tenant. We can discuss it when that works better for everyone; put any agreed terms in writing and follow the lease and applicable process.
Bring us the problem
Tell us what is making the rental hard to sell: lease timing, access limits, needed repairs, unpaid rent, a notice already sent or received, or uncertainty about who is living in the house. We can discuss the house and tenancy together without asking you to solve every issue before you call.
Call 888-274-5006 and tell us what is happening.
What happens next
1. We discuss the lease, occupancy, and house
We talk through the Durham address, who lives there, the lease and renewal dates, access, condition and repairs, deposit records, and the timing you have in mind.
2. You get written terms to review
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing.
3. The occupancy and deposit are part of the handoff
If you decide to proceed, the lease, occupancy or possession plan, security-deposit records, and tenant communications are addressed in the written closing details. The title company handles the closing process.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including North Carolina's excise tax on conveyances.
Mortgage balances, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes remain separate.
Local help for a Durham-area rental
Durham-area properties may be in Durham, Orange, or Wake County. Check the parcel’s county before using a land-records office; the Register of Deeds handles recorded deed and land-document questions, not a tenant’s lease or possession rights.
Orange County Register of Deeds
Use this county office for recorded deeds and land-record questions when the property is in Orange County.
Wake County Register of Deeds
Use this county office for recorded deeds and land-record questions when the property is in Wake County.
North Carolina leases, notice, possession, and security deposits
A sale does not by itself cancel a lease. Keep the current lease, amendments, occupancy details, notices, and deposit records together so the handoff can reflect the actual tenancy.
G.S. 47-18 — recording a lease longer than three years
The buyer generally takes over as landlord under the existing lease. A lease longer than three years must be recorded with the Register of Deeds to bind a buyer. Check the lease and its recording status as part of the sale discussion.
North Carolina Tenant Security Deposit Act — G.S. 42-50 to 42-56
The Tenant Security Deposit Act covers residential deposits. Within 30 days after a sale, the seller must either transfer the deposit, minus lawful deductions, to the buyer and mail the tenant the buyer’s name and address, or return the deposit, minus lawful deductions, to the tenant. Either step relieves the seller of further responsibility for that deposit.
See G.S. 42-54 on deposits when the landlord’s interest is transferred. Keep the deposit amount and records with the lease for closing.
G.S. 42-14 — notice for a tenancy with no set end date
When a tenancy has no set end date, the notice period depends on the rent period: month-to-month requires at least seven days before the end of the month; week-to-week requires two days before the end of the week; and year-to-year requires one month or more before the end of the year. A rented manufactured-home space requires 60 days’ notice. Check the lease too; it may require more.
G.S. 42-25.6 — possession through the court process
If a tenant will not leave, the tenant can be removed only through the court process. A notice or sale does not itself give the owner possession; do not treat either as permission to remove a tenant without that process.
Durham seller resources
Durham home-sale net proceeds calculator →Compare your written offer or listing plan with the costs and payoff figures you enter.Durham-area seller resources →Find the local market report, process information, and other seller-situation pages.How the Durham sale process works →Read about sharing property details, written terms, and title-company closing.Durham market data snapshot →Review local market context with its source and geography kept in view.
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Durham tenant-occupied seller questions
Can I sell a Durham house while tenants are still living there?
Yes. USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Durham, North Carolina, and throughout Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties. A sale does not by itself cancel a lease, so the lease and occupancy remain part of the handoff.
Do I have to evict before I call or sell to you?
You don't always need to evict to sell to us. We buy houses with tenants in place — we've done it many times, including cash-for-keys when that works better for everyone. A sale is not an eviction; if your plan needs vacant possession, follow the lease and court process that applies.
What happens to the security deposit when the house is sold?
Within 30 days after the sale, North Carolina law requires the seller either to transfer the deposit, minus lawful deductions, to the buyer and mail the tenant the buyer’s name and address, or return the deposit, minus lawful deductions, to the tenant. Either step relieves the seller of further responsibility for that deposit.
How much notice is needed to end a tenancy with no set end date?
The North Carolina notice period depends on the rent period: month-to-month needs at least seven days before the end of the month, week-to-week needs two days before the end of the week, and year-to-year needs one month or more before the end of the year. A rented manufactured-home space has a 60-day period. Check the lease too; it may require more.
Can I change the locks if a tenant will not leave?
No. A tenant who will not leave can be removed only through the court process. A sale or notice does not itself give you possession of the house.
What should I have ready before we talk?
If available, keep the lease and amendments, rent and deposit records, occupancy and access details, notices already sent or received, repair information, and your timing in one place. You can call with what you know; you do not need to resolve the tenancy first.
Talk through the tenant situation
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Tell us what is happening with the Durham house, lease, access, and occupancy.