🇺🇸 South Carolina tenant document
Landlord kept your deposit? Check the South Carolina return rules, then challenge withheld funds with an organized written demand, your dates and amounts, an evidence plan, and official starting points in one downloadable pack.
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Official framework
Code of Laws of South Carolina §§ 27-40-410 and 27-40-510 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)
South Carolina generally requires the landlord to itemize any deduction from the security deposit in a written notice to the tenant, together with any amount due, within 30 days after termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, and the tenant’s demand, whichever is later.
Read the official statute ↗Content reviewed October 1, 2026. General information only—not legal advice.
South Carolina security deposit rules
South Carolina generally requires a landlord to give the tenant a written notice itemizing any deductions from the security deposit, together with any amount due, within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the tenant delivers possession, and the tenant demands the deposit, whichever is later. Tenants must give a forwarding address in writing, and S.C. Code § 27-40-410(b) describes recovery of three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus attorney’s fees, which a court decides.
Watch your own deadline: The landlord’s 30-day period runs from the latest of termination, delivery of possession, and your demand, and you must give the landlord a forwarding address in writing. If you have not already done both, do so promptly (this letter requests the deposit and lists your mailing address) and keep proof of the date and method of delivery.
Check coverage: S.C. Code § 27-40-120 excludes arrangements such as institutional residence, transient hotel or motel occupancy, employer-conditioned housing, condominium owner occupancy, and vacation time-sharing. Since May 18, 2026, § 27-40-350 provides that a deposit need not be returned until the end of the lease when a protected tenant ends lease obligations early. Magistrate courts generally hear civil claims up to $7,500.
These are general summaries, not conclusions about your situation. Review the linked official text and obtain legal advice when needed.
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South Carolina deposit dispute
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South Carolina generally requires the landlord to itemize any deduction from the security deposit in a written notice to the tenant, together with any amount due, within 30 days after termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, and the tenant’s demand, whichever is later. Check the official statute for the conditions that apply to your tenancy.
No. The pack organizes a written demand and supporting record. The lease, facts, delivery, evidence, defenses, and any court decision control the result.
A personalized demand letter, timing worksheet, deduction dispute organizer, evidence and delivery log, and escalation-preparation sheet with official source links.
No. It identifies provisions to review and makes clear that potential enhanced remedies depend on facts and, if disputed, a court determination.
Yes. Complete the guided form to see a personalized preview. The finished five-part PDF costs $39 USD as a one-time purchase.