South Carolina Repair Request Letter to Landlord
A free South Carolina repair request letter to landlord that follows South Carolina law. Fill in the boxes, check the rules below, then print or copy it. Keep a copy and proof of how you sent it.
What South Carolina law says
| Repair and deduct | No. The Act expressly does not authorize tenants to make repairs and deduct the cost from rent. Limited exception: for a landlord's negligent/willful failure to supply essential services, after written notice and a reasonable time, the tenant may procure reasonable amounts of the service and deduct the actual reasonable cost. Source: S.C. Code § 27-40-630 |
|---|---|
| Withholding rent | No self-help withholding right. Landlord noncompliance may be raised as a defense/counterclaim in a possession or rent action, but the tenant must pay rent accruing after the Rule to Vacate into court and the rent allegedly owed before it, or face a warrant of ejectment. |
| Landlord retaliation | Landlord may not increase rent above fair-market value, decrease essential services, or bring a possession action because the tenant complained to a code-enforcement agency about a material health/safety violation or complained to the landlord about a violation of the Act. Retaliation is a defense to eviction, but the tenant must notify the landlord in writing within 10 days after service of the Rule to Vacate or Show Cause that the tenant intends to raise it. A retaliating landlord is liable for up to 3 months' rent or treble actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney's fees. Source: S.C. Code § 27-40-910 |
| Heat | Yes. The landlord must make available reasonable heat (and running and reasonable hot water) except where the building is not required by law to be equipped for heat or the heat is generated by an installation in the tenant's exclusive control on a direct utility connection, and must keep landlord-supplied heating facilities in reasonably good and safe working order. Heat is an 'essential service.' No statewide minimum temperature or heating season. |
| Mold | No statute — general habitability/repair duty applies. South Carolina has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals; the landlord must comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety and 'make all repairs and do whatever is reasonably necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.' Source: S.C. Code § 27-40-440(a)(1)-(2) |
Fill in your letter
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To: [landlord or manager name], [landlord address]
From: [your name], tenant at [rental address]
I am asking you to repair the following problems at my rental: [describe each problem, where it is, and when it started].
I first reported this on [date first reported] by [phone, text, email, portal or letter].
Please make these repairs by [date]. You may enter to make repairs after giving the notice required by law; times that work for me: [access times].
South Carolina law protects tenants from retaliation for asking for repairs (S.C. Code § 27-40-910).
Date: [today's date]
Tenant: [your name]
Signature: ____________________
How to send it: use a method you can prove — certified mail with return receipt, or email/text if your lease allows notices that way. Write down the date.
Repair Request Letter to Landlord templates for other states · All South Carolina landlord-tenant rules · Free legal help in South Carolina
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.