Can a domestic violence victim end a lease early in South Carolina?

In South Carolina, a tenant who is the victim of domestic abuse or violence by a co-leaseholder on the same property, documented by a restraining order, an order of protection or a conviction, may end their obligations under the lease by giving the landlord written notice with that documentation within sixty days of the incident, effective on the date stated if it is at least thirty days after the landlord receives the notice. The tenant owes rent and other amounts through the effective date of the termination but no early-termination fees or penalties, remains liable for damage the tenant caused, and need not be returned a security deposit until the end of the lease if one is due. Co-tenants on the lease remain responsible for the full rent for the rest of the term, and if the perpetrator is the remaining sole tenant the landlord may end the lease on five days’ written notice and collect actual damages from the perpetrator. The landlord may not force the tenant to leave before the sixty days run, may agree to an earlier termination, may not retaliate, and is not liable for acting in good faith on the tenant’s documentation. The section was added by 2026 Act No. 184, effective May 18, 2026. This is S.C. Code §§ 27-40-350, 27-40-210.

WhatSouth Carolina
Ending the lease earlyWritten notice with an order; effective in 30 days

What the statute says

“A protected tenant must provide the landlord with written notice of the intent to terminate the protected tenant’s obligations under a rental agreement within sixty days after a documented qualifying incident.”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

S.C. Code §§ 27-40-350, 27-40-210

Read the statute in the South Carolina Code of Laws (South Carolina Legislature): scstatehouse.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 15, 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.

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