What happens if a tenant breaks a lease in South Carolina?
In South Carolina, when a tenant abandons the dwelling unit, the landlord must make reasonable efforts to rent it at a fair rental. A tenant’s unexplained absence from the unit for 15 days after default in the payment of rent is treated as abandonment, and abandonment is immediate when the tenant has also voluntarily terminated the utilities. If the landlord does not use reasonable efforts to rent the unit at a fair rental, or accepts the abandonment as a surrender, the rental agreement is treated as terminated by the landlord on the date the landlord has notice of the abandonment. Separately, federal law lets a servicemember end a lease early after receiving qualifying military orders. This is S.C. Code § 27-40-730.
| What | South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Landlord’s duty to re-rent | Required by statute |
| What it means | The landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent |
Source
S.C. Code § 27-40-730
Read the statute in the South Carolina Code of Laws (South Carolina Legislature): scstatehouse.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora keeps every lease’s term, rent and signers in one record and dates every change to it. This page states the state’s rule so a lease’s own early-termination and sublet clauses can be checked against it before the lease is signed.
Guides on this rule
- Breaking a Lease by State: What the Tenant Owes — What a tenant owes after leaving a lease early, and the 34 states whose statutes say whether the landlord must try to re-rent the home.
Compare this rule in every state
More South Carolina rules
- How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in South Carolina?
- How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in South Carolina?
- How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering in South Carolina?
- How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in South Carolina?
- What are squatters’ rights in South Carolina?
- Is there rent control in South Carolina?
- Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in South Carolina?
- Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in South Carolina?
- Can a tenant sublet in South Carolina?
- Do contractors charge sales tax in South Carolina?
- Every South Carolina rule on one page
The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas