Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in South Carolina?
Only for essential services. In South Carolina, if a landlord negligently or willfully fails to provide essential services, the tenant may give written notice and buy reasonable substitute services during the outage and deduct their cost from the rent, but the statute states that it does not authorize a tenant to make repairs and deduct their cost. Each step has to be followed as the statute sets it out, including the written notice and the waiting period, or the deduction can be treated as unpaid rent. This is S.C. Code § 27-40-630.
| What | South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Repair and deduct | Essential services only |
| Limit | Essential services only; no repair and deduct |
Source
S.C. Code § 27-40-630
Read the statute in the South Carolina Code of Laws (South Carolina Legislature): scstatehouse.gov.
Checked against the statute on October 23, 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
Every deadline on this page runs from the tenant’s notice. A repair request filed in Seayora keeps the date it was made and every update after it, on the website and both phone apps, so owner and tenant are working from the same date.
Guides on this rule
- How Long Does a Landlord Have to Make Repairs? Deadlines by State — Repair deadlines after a tenant’s notice in Washington, Texas, Arizona, Oregon, California and Florida, and what a tenant may do if the landlord misses one.
Compare this rule in every state
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