South Carolina Retaliation Law: What Counts & the Presumption Window (2026)

What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it

At a glance

• Protection window: No statutory presumption window
• Governing authority: S.C. Code § 27-40-910(a)

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers landlord retaliation in South Carolina — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.

What the law prohibits

S.C. Code § 27-40-910 — 房东不得因租客 (1) 向政府机关投诉建筑/住房法规违规影响健康安全 (2) 向房东投诉本章违规而报复（涨至超公平市场价、减关键服务、提起占有之诉）。

S.C. Code § 27-40-910(a) ↗

The protection window

South Carolina does not set a statutory presumption window. Whether an action counts as retaliation depends on the facts rather than a fixed clock.

南卡报复法提及「presumption of retaliation」（27-40-910(e)），但官方原文**未明确写保护期天数**（二手站「90 天推定」无官方依据）。特殊救济：报复拒续租且租客未欠租，房东 75 天内不得收回占有（27-40-910(g)）。

S.C. Code § 27-40-910(e), (g) ↗

Protected activities

What a landlord may not do

Burden of proof

租客须证明房东报复；报复拒续租情形（27-40-910(g)）租客须证明房东违规 + 房东知情 + 房东在租约届满前已知投诉。

S.C. Code § 27-40-910(g) ↗

Remedies

Exemptions and limits

27-40-910(c)：房东在租客过失、material noncompliance、改建拆迁等情形仍可提起占有之诉；>4 单元房东统一涨租无推定报复（27-40-910(e)）。

S.C. Code § 27-40-910(c), (e) ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
S.C. Code § 27-40-910(a)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
S.C. Code § 27-40-910(e), (g)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
S.C. Code § 27-40-910(a)(1)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
S.C. Code § 27-40-910(a)(2)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
S.C. Code § 27-40-910(g)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
S.C. Code § 27-40-910(b), (h)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
S.C. Code § 27-40-910(c), (e)	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More South Carolina guides

South Carolina Security Deposit Return · South Carolina Security Deposit Rules · South Carolina Eviction Process · South Carolina Rent Increase Rules · South Carolina Repairs & Habitability

→ All South Carolina tenant rights topics

Common questions