South Carolina Landlord-Tenant Laws
South Carolina Security deposits
South Carolina sets no cap on security deposits but requires landlords to return the deposit with a written itemization of any deductions within 30 days after the latest of three events: the tenancy ending, the tenant delivering possession, and the tenant demanding the money back.
South Carolina Rent increase notice
South Carolina has no statute requiring advance notice of a rent increase — the 30-day convention for month-to-month tenancies is derived from SC Code 27-40-770, which lets either party end a month-to-month tenancy on 30 days' written notice (7 days for week-to-week), so a landlord proposing higher rent is effectively offering new terms the tenant can decline by leaving.
South Carolina Late fees
South Carolina sets no cap on residential late fees and mandates no grace period — rent is 'payable without demand or notice at the time and place agreed upon by the parties' (SC Code 27-40-310), so a lease-based late fee can begin accruing the day after rent is due.
South Carolina Entry notice
South Carolina landlords must give tenants at least 24 hours' notice before entering a rental for inspections, repairs, services, or showings, and may enter only at reasonable times — but the statute carves out three no-notice situations: emergencies (expressly including approaching weather that threatens the property), regularly scheduled periodic services like filter changes or pest treatment between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. if the lease conspicuously reserves that right and the landlord announces the entry, and tenant-requested services between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. with an announcement at the door.
How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official South Carolina Legislature site (scstatehouse.gov), Code of Laws Title 27: sections 27-40-410, 27-40-530, 27-40-770, 27-40-710, 27-40-310, 27-40-120, and 27-39-60 each read twice in independent fetches with all load-bearing figures matching verbatim (30-day deposit deadline and its three-trigger clause, 3x penalty, more-than-four-adjoining-units posting rule, 24-hour entry notice, 9-6 and 8-8 no-notice service windows, 30-day/7-day periodic termination notice, 5-day nonpayment cure). Also read once: 27-40-720 and 27-40-730 (cross-referenced access rights), 27-40-210(11) rent definition, 27-40-10 and 27-40-110 (short title, statewide territorial application). Negative checks run against the full chapter text: no deposit cap, no escrow/trust requirement, no deposit interest, no late-fee amount or grace-period regulation. Pending-bill check 2026-07-09: H. 3346 (Rent Control Act) and H. 3569 (DV early termination) both died at sine die adjournment 2026-05-14 (H. 3346 never left House LCI committee); the post-sine-die special session was limited to redistricting and the budget.