South Carolina Room Rental Agreement

Types of Room Rental Agreements

• Room rental agreement: A legally binding contract between a live-in landlord and a tenant outlining the terms and conditions of renting the room.
• Roommate agreement: An agreement, typically non-legally binding, between co-tenants that guides the responsibilities of each party.

Required Landlord Disclosures

When signing a room rental agreement, South Carolina landlords must disclose the following to the tenant:

1. Lead-based paint: Federal law requires landlords to disclose any known presence of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards on properties built before 1978.

2. Unequal deposits: If the landlord rents out four or more adjoining units with different security deposit amounts, they must explain how they calculate the deposits and post that information in a visible place on the premises (SC Code § 27-40-410).

3. Landlord contact info: The landlord must give the tenant the property owner’s or authorized agent’s name and address. If that information changes, the landlord must notify the tenant (SC Code § 27-40-420).

Breaching Contract

Failure to pay: Landlords can issue a 5-day Notice to Pay or Quit once rent is late. If the lease already includes this language, the landlord does not need to give any additional notice. They may begin eviction proceedings after the five days pass (SC Code § 27-40-710(b)).

Lease violations: For lease violations, the landlord may issue a 14-day Notice to Cure or Quit before starting eviction proceedings (SC Code § 27-40-710(a)).

Lease abandonment: If the tenant abandons the lease early, they may be responsible for the full rent amount through the end of the lease term. This policy applies until the landlord finds a new tenant (SC Code § 27-40-710(c)).

Self-help evictions: Landlords should never try to evict a tenant on their own by changing the locks or turning off utilities, and must always follow South Carolina law (SC Code § 27-40-660).

Landlord Room Access Laws

Immediate access: Landlords in South Carolina may enter the unit without notice only in cases of emergency (SC Code § 27-40-530).

Landlord harassment: Landlords cannot abuse their right of access by entering repeatedly or at unreasonable times (SC Code § 27-40-530).

Advance notice: Landlords must give the tenant at least 24 hours’ notice before entering the unit. For regularly scheduled services, entry must occur between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. For tenant-requested repairs, entry must occur between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (SC Code § 27-40-530).

Create Your South Carolina Room Rental Agreement

Use a TurboTenant room rental agreement to define household duties and rent responsibilities. It helps maintain order and mutual respect in shared housing.