There are a couple of things to consider with regard to the rental property.
First, if the property advertised and available to rent in December 2021, then it was placed in service in 2021. You do report your rental expenses such as the interest, taxes, and maintenance on Schedule E. You will also begin to depreciate the property itself based on the date it was placed in service. All of these items coupled with no income for 2021 will generate an overall loss for the property.
But, if your rental loss deduction is zero, then the rental is a passive activity and the losses are passive losses which are carried forward until they can be used to offset passive income.
There is an exception that allows you to deduct up to $25,000 passive loss for rental real estate, but this exception does phase out as your modified Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) increases. It starts to phase out at $100,000 modified AGI and completely ends with modified AGI above $150,000. There are different limits and rules if Married Filing Separate.
To learn more, see the following TurboTax article: Real Estate Tax and Rental Property
The discussion about passive activity losses is at the end of the article.
The other thing to consider is if your property was not placed in service in 2021 as a rental, then you will not report your expenses on Schedule E. Any taxes that you paid may be deducted on Schedule A, itemized deductions. The same is true for mortgage interest if the rental property qualifies as your second home. Also, if the maintenance cost you incurred is considered to be a major improvement, then that cost will be added to the basis of the property when you begin to depreciate it on your 2022 return. Otherwise, the maintenance cost is a personal expense and would not be deductible since the property was not yet placed in service as a rental.
No North Carolina return would be required for 2021 since there was no income to report.
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