How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in South Carolina?

South Carolina statute sets no cap on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the lease says. What S.C. Code 27-40-410 does fix is how and when the deposit comes back.

What does a South Carolina landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the South Carolina checklist has two items: name and address of the owner or the agent authorized to act for the owner, kept current; and when the Landlord rents more than four adjoining units on the Premises and uses different deposit standards, the standards used to set deposits, posted or given in writing. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which South Carolina statutes does this lease cite?

S.C. Code 27-40-410, S.C. Code 27-40-770, S.C. Code 27-40-530 and S.C. Code 27-40-420, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this South Carolina lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the South Carolina statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with South Carolina landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Signathing

Landlords and property managers

South Carolina Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in South Carolina. The deposit, notice, entry and disclosure clauses follow South Carolina statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

Use this template Download blank PDF

Use this template needs a free Signathing account, which is a code to your email or mobile number, no password. It copies the document and all 25 fields into your templates so you can send it in a minute.

Different state?

Page one of the South Carolina Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

South Carolina rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No cap in the statute
Deposit return: Within 30 days after the later of the tenancy ending and the Tenant delivering possession, or the Tenant's demand, the Landlord returns the deposit with a written notice itemizing any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear; the Tenant gives the Landlord a forwarding address in writing, and if none is given the Landlord mails the notice to the Tenant's last known address.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the termination date named in the notice.
Landlord entry: The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice before entering, enters only at reasonable times, and may enter at any time in an emergency.
Disclosures: 3 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Statutes: S.C. Code 27-40-410, S.C. Code 27-40-770, S.C. Code 27-40-530, S.C. Code 27-40-420. Read the South Carolina statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in South Carolina

Pick South Carolina and four parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, the entry clause and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the South Carolina statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

South Carolina sets no ceiling on the deposit and no rule about where it is kept, so the amount and the account are the landlord's call. The return is the part the statute fixes: the rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept, turns on the tenant's forwarding address and leaves ordinary wear out of the deductions.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy works the same from both sides in South Carolina. Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the termination date named in the notice.

Before coming in, the landlord gives notice, and South Carolina puts a number on it. The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice before entering, enters only at reasonable times, and may enter at any time in an emergency.

The disclosures checklist carries two South Carolina items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them name and address of the owner or the agent authorized to act for the owner, kept current, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

This row notes no city or county overlay for South Carolina; if the property is in a city with its own rental ordinance, check it before signing. The state clauses follow four sections of South Carolina law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the South Carolina clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for South Carolina, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 30 days after the later of the tenancy ending and the Tenant delivering possession, or the Tenant's demand, the Landlord returns the deposit with a written notice itemizing any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear; the Tenant gives the Landlord a forwarding address in writing, and if none is given the Landlord mails the notice to the Tenant's last known address.

Entry

The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice before entering, enters only at reasonable times, and may enter at any time in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the termination date named in the notice. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice South Carolina law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
Name and address of the owner or the agent authorized to act for the owner, kept current (S.C. Code 27-40-420)
When the Landlord rents more than four adjoining units on the Premises and uses different deposit standards, the standards used to set deposits, posted or given in writing (S.C. Code 27-40-410)

Footer of the PDF: South Carolina clauses follow S.C. Code 27-40-410, S.C. Code 27-40-770, S.C. Code 27-40-530, S.C. Code 27-40-420 as read on 2026-10-23.

South Carolina lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in South Carolina?: South Carolina statute sets no cap on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the lease says. What S.C. Code 27-40-410 does fix is how and when the deposit comes back.
When does the security deposit come back in South Carolina?: Within 30 days after the later of the tenancy ending and the Tenant delivering possession, or the Tenant's demand, the Landlord returns the deposit with a written notice itemizing any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear; the Tenant gives the Landlord a forwarding address in writing, and if none is given the Landlord mails the notice to the Tenant's last known address.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in South Carolina?: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the termination date named in the notice.
How much notice does a South Carolina landlord give before entering?: The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice before entering, enters only at reasonable times, and may enter at any time in an emergency.
What does a South Carolina landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the South Carolina checklist has two items: name and address of the owner or the agent authorized to act for the owner, kept current; and when the Landlord rents more than four adjoining units on the Premises and uses different deposit standards, the standards used to set deposits, posted or given in writing. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Which South Carolina statutes does this lease cite?: S.C. Code 27-40-410, S.C. Code 27-40-770, S.C. Code 27-40-530 and S.C. Code 27-40-420, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this South Carolina lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the South Carolina statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with South Carolina landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A South Carolina lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

Free, and not the kind of free with a catch

Unlimited documents, up to 25 signers each, certified PDFs on every one. No trial clock and no card to start.

Start signing free