State law · statute quotes
South Carolina security deposit laws for landlords and property managers
The words of South Carolina's security deposit statute on each topic, quoted verbatim with pinpoint citations and links to the official source. No summaries, no interpretation.
Reviewed by Mark Shvaya, licensed California real estate broker (DRE #02243502), who uses ProFlow360 in a rental portfolio Mark manages
Last reviewed
Quoted on this page
- Deposit limit
- Returning the deposit
- Itemized statement
- Inspections and condition reports
- Photographs
- Normal wear and tear
- Interest
- Wrongful withholding
S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410
On this page
What this page covers
South Carolina's residential security deposit provisions quoted here come from S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410. Below are the statute's own words on 3 topics, each with a pinpoint citation and a link to the official text. This page does not summarize or interpret the law.
What does South Carolina law say about returning the deposit?
Any deduction from the security/rental deposit must be itemized by the landlord in a written notice to the tenant together with the amount due, if any, within thirty days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is later.
What does South Carolina law say about an itemized statement of deductions?
Upon termination of the tenancy, property or money held by the landlord as security must be returned less amounts withheld by the landlord for accrued rent and damages which the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant's noncompliance with Section 27-40-510. Any deduction from the security/rental deposit must be itemized by the landlord in a written notice to the tenant
What does South Carolina law say about wrongful withholding?
If the landlord fails to return to the tenant any prepaid rent or security/rental deposit with the notice required to be sent by the landlord pursuant to subsection (a), the tenant may recover the property and money in an amount equal to three times the amount wrongfully withheld and reasonable attorney's fees.
Not quoted on this page
deposit limit, inspections and condition reports, photographs, normal wear and tear, interest. That does not mean South Carolina law is silent on them; other sections or local rules may apply. Read the full statute.
Has South Carolina's security deposit law changed recently?
From our review of the official history notes: Official history: 1986 Act No. 336, SECTION 1; 1994 Act No. 498, SECTION 1. No 2024–2026 amendment shown.
How does ProFlow360 help you document a South Carolina tenancy?
ProFlow360 records and organizes inspection evidence; it does not tell you what the statute requires or allows. What it records, for any state:
- Move-in, routine, pre-move-out and move-out inspections with photos timestamped at capture.
- Each move-out photo beside its move-in match, filed under the tenancy.
- Itemized lines with your classification, the amount you entered, and the estimate or invoice attached.
- An issued record that is sealed, shared by a link that expires and can be revoked.
Do this in ProFlow360
Keep the photos, the call and the invoice on the same line
Every deduction line carries the move-in and move-out photos, your classification and its documents, so the record can be followed by someone who was not there.
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Sources
Sources checked October 16, 2026.
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