South Carolina Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation
South Carolina rules on lockouts, utility shutoffs & retaliation for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: A landlord may not recover or take possession of the unit except after abandonment, surrender or termination, or through the process the Act allows. S.C. Code §§ 27-40-760, 27-40-660
The rules in South Carolina
| Lockouts and illegal eviction | A landlord may not recover or take possession of the unit except after abandonment, surrender or termination, or through the process the Act allows. If a landlord unlawfully removes or excludes a tenant, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease and, either way, recover the greater of three months' periodic rent or twice actual damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees. If the lease ends, the landlord must return the recoverable security deposit. |
|---|---|
| Landlord shutting off utilities | A landlord may not take possession by willfully cutting off essential services, except after abandonment, surrender or termination, or as the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act allows. If a landlord willfully diminishes essential services, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease and, either way, recover the greater of three months' rent or twice actual damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees; if the lease ends, the landlord must return the recoverable deposit. |
| 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. No statutory presumption period. If the defense is without merit, the landlord gets reasonable attorney's fees; if raised in bad faith, the landlord may recover up to 3 months' rent or treble actual damages (§ 27-40-910(b)). Exceptions: tenant-caused violations, tenant in material noncompliance (incl. rent default), or code compliance requiring demolition/remodeling. If a landlord retaliates by non-renewal, it may not recover possession for 75 days (§ 27-40-910(g)). Source: S.C. Code § 27-40-910 |
Related questions
South Carolina vs. neighboring states
| State | Lockouts and illegal eviction | Landlord shutting off utilities | Landlord retaliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | A landlord may not recover or take possession of the unit except after abandonment, surrender or termination, or through the process the Act allows. If a landlord unlawfully removes or excludes a tenant, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease and, either way, recover the greater of three months' periodic rent or twice actual damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees. If the lease ends, the landlord must return the recoverable security deposit. S.C. Code §§ 27-40-760, 27-40-660 | A landlord may not take possession by willfully cutting off essential services, except after abandonment, surrender or termination, or as the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act allows. If a landlord willfully diminishes essential services, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease and, either way, recover the greater of three months' rent or twice actual damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees; if the lease ends, the landlord must return the recoverable deposit. S.C. Code §§ 27-40-760, 27-40-660 | 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. S.C. Code § 27-40-910 |
| Georgia | Self-help eviction is illegal in Georgia. Georgia's official handbook says a landlord cannot remove a tenant or block the tenant's access to the unit without first going through the court eviction (dispossessory) process, even if the tenant broke the lease. Depriving a tenant of use of the premises within 3 months after a protected tenant action can also support a retaliation claim, which carries a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500. Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (DCA, rev. 8-29-24), p. 17; O.C.G.A. § 44-7-24(c)(2), (e) | A landlord may not knowingly and willfully cut off a tenant's utilities before the final outcome of an eviction (dispossessory) case the landlord has filed against that tenant. On conviction, the landlord can be fined up to $500. Georgia's official handbook adds that during an eviction case the tenant may stay in the home with active utilities until the court decides. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-14.1; Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (DCA, rev. 8-29-24), p. 17 | Landlord may not retaliate because a tenant, in good faith, asserted a lease or legal right, asked for repairs or used a remedy under the landlord-tenant chapter, complained to a housing or code enforcement agency or a utility about a condition the landlord must fix, or formed or joined a tenant organization about habitability. A tenant makes a prima facie case of retaliation if, within 3 months after the protected act, the landlord files for eviction (with exceptions), deprives the tenant of use of the premises, reduces services, raises rent, terminates the lease, or materially interferes with the tenant's lease rights. Retaliation is a defense to eviction. Remedy: a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500, court costs, reasonable attorney's fees if the conduct was willful, wanton or malicious, and declaratory relief, minus any rent or other sums the tenant owes. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-24 |
| North Carolina | Self-help eviction is banned. A residential tenant may be removed only through the court's summary ejectment procedure (Article 3) or Article 7. If a landlord removes or tries to remove a tenant any other way, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease and recover actual damages (as in a trespass or conversion case), but not punitive, treble, or emotional-distress damages. If the landlord seizes or blocks access to the tenant's belongings outside the statutory procedures, the tenant may recover the property or its value plus actual damages. N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-25.6, 42-25.9 | North Carolina's landlord-tenant statutes do not mention utility shutoffs by name. What they do say: a residential tenant may be evicted, dispossessed, or 'otherwise constructively or actually removed' from the home only through the court procedures in Chapter 42, and a landlord who removes or tries to remove a tenant contrary to that rule is liable for the tenant's actual damages; the tenant may recover possession or end the lease, but punitive, treble and emotional-distress damages are not available. N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-25.6, 42-25.9(a) | Protected acts: good-faith repair requests/complaints to the landlord, complaints to a government agency about health/safety/housing code violations, a government agency's formal complaint, good-faith efforts to enforce lease or legal rights, and tenant-organizing. Tenant may raise retaliation as a defense if the eviction is substantially in response to a protected act within 12 months before filing; if proven, the court denies ejectment. N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-37.1, 42-37.2 |
More South Carolina rental law
- South Carolina Security Deposit Law
- South Carolina Eviction Laws
- South Carolina Notice to Vacate Rules
- Landlord Entry Rules in South Carolina
- South Carolina Repairs & Tenant Remedies
- South Carolina Rent Increase & Late Fee Laws
- Breaking a Lease in South Carolina
- Squatters' Rights in South Carolina
- South Carolina Rental Fee Rules
- South Carolina Section 8, Records & Right to Counsel
- South Carolina Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
- South Carolina Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
- South Carolina Landlord Selling the House
- South Carolina Subletting, Lease Endings & Tenant Death
- All South Carolina landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in South Carolina
Compare lockouts, utility shutoffs & retaliation in all 50 states and DC →
South Carolina Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation FAQ
Can a landlord change the locks without a court order in South Carolina?
A landlord may not recover or take possession of the unit except after abandonment, surrender or termination, or through the process the Act allows. If a landlord unlawfully removes or excludes a tenant, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease and, either way, recover the greater of three months' periodic rent or twice actual damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees. If the lease ends, the landlord must return the recoverable security deposit. (S.C. Code §§ 27-40-760, 27-40-660)
Can a landlord shut off utilities in South Carolina?
A landlord may not take possession by willfully cutting off essential services, except after abandonment, surrender or termination, or as the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act allows. If a landlord willfully diminishes essential services, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease and, either way, recover the greater of three months' rent or twice actual damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees; if the lease ends, the landlord must return the recoverable deposit. (S.C. Code §§ 27-40-760, 27-40-660)
Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in South Carolina?
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. (S.C. Code § 27-40-910)
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.