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Tenant Repair Laws in South Carolina

In South Carolina, a tenant may not make repairs and deduct the cost from rent, but may procure missing essential services and deduct their cost; for other breaches the landlord has 14 days after written notice.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

South Carolina at a glance

Repair and deduct
Essential services only
The statute bars repair and deduct, but a tenant may procure essential services the landlord fails to provide and deduct their cost.
Landlord repair deadline
14 days after written notice
For material noncompliance before the tenant may terminate. For essential services, a reasonable time.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in South Carolina

Can a tenant repair and deduct the cost from rent in South Carolina?

Essential services only. Repair and deduct in South Carolina: essential services only. The statute bars repair and deduct, but a tenant may procure essential services the landlord fails to provide and deduct their cost.

How long does a landlord have to make repairs after notice in South Carolina?

Landlord repair deadline in South Carolina: 14 days after written notice. For material noncompliance before the tenant may terminate. For essential services, a reasonable time.

Where do the South Carolina tenant repair laws come from?

The rules above come from S.C. Code 27-40-630 and S.C. Code 27-40-610. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

If the breach is not remedied within 14 days, the tenant may end the lease on a date at least 14 days after the landlord receives notice.

What this means in practice

Give notice in writing and keep a copy. Tenant repair remedies usually start running only after the landlord has received notice of the problem, and a dated letter or email is the easiest way to prove when that happened.

Document the condition before and after. Photos, videos, inspection reports from a local code office and receipts for any repair work help show that the problem was serious and that any amount deducted or withheld matches the actual cost.

Stay current on everything else. Repair remedies generally protect only tenants who are not otherwise behind on rent and who did not cause the damage, and using a remedy the state does not allow can be treated as nonpayment of rent and lead to an eviction case.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.