South Carolina Eviction Notice

South Carolina notice periods

Each period is the one LeaseCraft's record of the statute holds. Read it with the conditions under it: some periods are minimums and some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means the record holds no statutory period for that situation, and "No pre-suit notice" means it holds no notice before filing. The source column shows the law and the date LeaseCraft read it on the official site (most recently 2026-09-27).

What the South Carolina statute says

Unpaid rent: 5 days

• Landlord may terminate if rent is unpaid when due and the tenant fails to pay within five days from the DATE DUE, provided the landlord has given written notice of nonpayment and of the intention to terminate if rent is not paid within that period (S.C. Code 27-40-710(B)).
• One-time notice: the obligation is satisfied for any lease term after one such notice, or if the rental agreement contains the conspicuous statement 'IF YOU DO NOT PAY YOUR RENT ON TIME ... You will get no other notice as long as you live in this rental unit.' — then no separate notice is needed even after the original term expires.
• Notice is 'received' when delivered in hand or mailed by registered/certified mail to the tenant's designated address or last known residence; proof of mailing constitutes notice without proof of receipt (27-40-240).

Lease violation: 14 days

• Noncompliance with the rental agreement (other than nonpayment, 27-40-510 health/safety matters or 27-40-540 illegal activity): written notice specifying the acts and omissions and stating that the agreement terminates on a date not less than fourteen days after RECEIPT if the breach is not remedied in fourteen days (27-40-710(A)).
• No termination if the tenant adequately remedies before the date, or if the remedy cannot be completed in 14 days but is commenced within the period and pursued in good faith to completion within a reasonable time.
• Health/safety noncompliance under 27-40-510: 27-40-720 — remedy as promptly as conditions require in an emergency, or within fourteen days of written notice.

Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure: No pre-suit notice

• Illegal activity (violation of 27-40-540): 27-40-710(B) lets the landlord terminate 'provided the landlord has given the tenant written notice'; the text states no separate waiting period for this ground (the five-day period in (B) is tied to the rent due date).
• No repeat-violation or waste/nuisance shortcut found in 27-40-710.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy: 30 days

• Written notice given at least thirty days before the termination date specified in the notice (27-40-770(B)); either party.

Tenant staying after the lease ends: Lease controls

• 27-40-770(C): tenant remaining without consent after expiration/termination — landlord may bring an action for possession; attorney's fees if not in good faith; up to three months' rent or twice actual damages for a wilful holdover. No separate holdover notice period.

Delivery, form and other South Carolina rules

How the notice may be delivered

S.C. Code 27-40-240: the tenant receives notice when it is delivered in hand or mailed by registered or certified mail to the place the tenant held out for receipt of communications or, absent a designation, to the tenant's last known place of residence; 'Proof of mailing pursuant to this subsection constitutes notice without proof of receipt.'

S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-240 · read 2026-09-27

Required form or contents

No prescribed form for a separate notice; but 27-40-710(B) prescribes the exact conspicuous lease clause that substitutes for the nonpayment notice: 'IF YOU DO NOT PAY YOUR RENT ON TIME This is your notice. If you do not pay your rent within five days of the due date, the landlord can start to have you evicted. You will get no other notice as long as you live in this rental unit.' A 27-40-710(A) breach notice must specify the acts and omissions and the termination date.

S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-710(A), (B) · read 2026-09-27

Statewide just-cause rule

No statewide just-cause requirement

• No just-cause requirement; either party may end a periodic tenancy on 27-40-770 notice.

S.C. Code Ann. 27-40-770 · read 2026-09-27

Preparing the notice

The form asks for the tenancy, the kind of notice and the dates, and the notice ends with a Certificate of Service to record how you delivered it. Beside the finished notice you get a South Carolina checklist of the period, form and delivery rules LeaseCraft recorded. The period in the notice is the one you choose; where LeaseCraft has verified the South Carolina period and your deadline is too soon, the document is not prepared until you move it.

Create a South Carolina eviction notice

A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant. Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

Eviction Notice rules in nearby states

Eviction Notice rules for every state