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South Carolina rental application rules to know

• •South Carolina sets no statutory cap on rental application or screening fees, and they are typically nonrefundable. Shop and compare, because the state does not regulate the amount.
• •There is no legal limit on how large a security deposit can be under the S.C. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, and state law does not require the landlord to keep it in a separate escrow account.
• •Under S.C. Code § 27-40-410, the landlord must give you an itemized list of any deductions and the balance of your deposit within 30 days after the tenancy ends, you return possession, and you demand it (or give a forwarding address), whichever is later.
• •If a landlord wrongfully withholds your deposit, you may recover three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney's fees, so always give your landlord a written forwarding address.
• •If a landlord rents more than four adjoining units and uses different deposit standards for different tenants, they must post or hand you a written statement of how deposits are calculated before you sign (S.C. Code § 27-40-410).
• •South Carolina sets no statutory cap on late fees. A late fee must be stated in your lease and be a reasonable estimate of the landlord's loss rather than an unenforceable penalty.
• •South Carolina does not protect source of income statewide, so a landlord may decline a Housing Choice (Section 8) voucher.
• •The South Carolina Fair Housing Law mirrors the federal classes: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental handicap (disability), and familial status. No extra statewide classes are added.

Last reviewed 2026-07-15. General information, not legal advice.