South Carolina landlord entry: 24 hours' notice and set hours for scheduled services
Section 27-40-530 of the South Carolina Code requires 24 hours' notice before a landlord enters, with entry at reasonable times. It also sets hours for regularly scheduled services (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and for services the tenant requested (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.), and it allows entry at any time in an emergency.
What is the general South Carolina rule?
Except for the specific cases below, a landlord must give the tenant at least 24 hours' notice of intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times. The tenant may not unreasonably refuse entry for inspections, necessary or agreed repairs and improvements, supplying agreed services, or showings to prospective buyers, lenders, tenants or contractors.
How do the service-hour rules work?
| Type of visit | Hours | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Regularly scheduled periodic services, such as filter changes or pest treatment | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Right stated in the rental agreement, and the landlord announces entry beforehand |
| Services the tenant requested | 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. | The landlord announces entry beforehand |
This is a practical gift for landlords who use a pest company every quarter. Put the service in the lease, and the visit needs an announcement and an agreed daytime slot, not a full 24-hour notice for each round. Without the lease language, the ordinary 24-hour notice applies.
What is an emergency in South Carolina?
The landlord may enter at any time in an emergency, and forecast weather changes that threaten the property may count as one. An owner who needs to secure a roof or move a loose item ahead of a storm has more room here than in most states. A forecast alone is no license for routine inspections.
What other access does the law give?
The landlord has no other right of access except by court order, under sections 27-40-720 and 27-40-730, with a law enforcement officer serving ejectment papers, or after the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises. The tenant, for the landlord's part, may not change the locks without the landlord's permission. The landlord shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant.
What can a tenant do about unlawful entry?
Section 27-40-530 does not state remedies. Under section 27-40-780(b), if the landlord knowingly enters unlawfully, repeatedly enters unreasonably, or repeatedly makes harassing demands for entry, the tenant may seek injunctive relief in magistrate or circuit court without posting bond, or terminate the rental agreement, and may recover actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees.
Using the service-hour rules well
The scheduled-service rule works only if the lease says so. Add a short clause naming the services, such as quarterly pest treatment and air filter changes, and send the announcement before each visit. Visits the tenant asked for have their own wider window, so a repair request submitted at noon can be scheduled that evening before 8 p.m. For everything else the 24 hours apply. Forecast storms are a special case in the statute, but keep the note of what you did and why, since a claim of weather emergency for a routine inspection will not hold. Remember too that harassing demands for entry are what trigger the tenant's remedies.
How DoorKeeping fits in South Carolina
DoorKeeping keeps the messages you send tenants in one thread with each unit, so the entry notice you write for South Carolina and the date it went out sit beside the lease and the work order. Recurring service visits can be listed once per unit, so the announcement each quarter is easy to repeat. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute and your lease before you act.
Sources
Questions
- How much notice does a South Carolina landlord have to give?
- At least 24 hours, with entry at reasonable times, except in the cases the section sets out separately.
- Do scheduled pest-control visits need 24 hours' notice in South Carolina?
- If the right to regular services is in the rental agreement, entry is allowed 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an announcement beforehand.
- What can a South Carolina tenant do about repeated unlawful entry?
- Seek an injunction without bond or terminate the agreement, and recover actual damages and attorney's fees under 27-40-780(b).