Free South Carolina Tenant Notice to Vacate
The 30 days written notice South Carolina tenants use to properly end a periodic tenancy under S.C. Code § 27-40-770. Fillable PDF, move-out date calculator, and security deposit guidance under S.C. Code § 27-40-410 — built for tenants giving notice, not landlords.
The notice period runs from delivery, not from your last day in the unit. If you give 30 days’ notice on the 10th of the month and intend to move out before the period ends, you are still on the hook for rent through that 30 days window. Moving out early without paying through the period can lead to a small claims action or a security deposit deduction. Pay rent through the full notice period, document delivery, and surrender keys on or before the last day. Surrendering is only one of the three events the 30-day deposit clock waits for under S.C. Code § 27-40-410(a) — make the written demand too, or the clock may never start.
SC Notice Period
30-Day
Day Type
Calendar
Statute
§ 27-40-770
SD Return
30 Days
On this page
- What this form does and when to use it
- South Carolina statute and legal authority
- Step-by-step: writing your notice to vacate
- Fillable form & PDF download
- Required information that makes the notice valid
- How to deliver the notice to your landlord
- Move-out timeline and key dates
- What happens after the notice period ends
- Security deposit return under § 27-40-410
- Common mistakes that cost tenants money
- Tenant rights during the notice period
- Frequently asked questions
- South Carolina statute reference table
A South Carolina Tenant Notice to Vacate is the written 30 days notice a tenant gives a landlord to end a periodic tenancy under South Carolina Code § 27-40-770. It identifies the rental unit, sets the last day of tenancy, provides a forwarding address for the security deposit, and creates the documentary record that protects you if the move-out is later disputed. The form on this page handles the statutory content automatically — you fill in the blanks, the PDF generates a clean, signature-ready notice, and you deliver it to your landlord.
In South Carolina, a tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy by written notice given to the landlord at least 30 days before the termination date specified in the notice, and a week-to-week tenancy by written notice at least 7 days before that date (S.C. Code § 27-40-770). The landlord must return the deposit, with an itemized written notice of any deductions, within thirty days after termination, delivery of possession and your demand, whichever is later; give a forwarding address in writing (S.C. Code § 27-40-410(a)).
What this form does and when to use it
The South Carolina Tenant Notice to Vacate is a written notice from the tenant to the landlord ending a periodic (typically month-to-month) tenancy under South Carolina Code § 27-40-770. It serves three purposes at once: it gives the landlord the statutorily required 30 days’ notice that the tenancy will end, it specifies the last day of tenancy so rent obligations stop on a defined date, and it carries the written demand and forwarding address that supply the third of the three events S.C. Code § 27-40-410(a) counts from — termination, delivery of possession, and demand by the tenant, whichever falls last. Without a properly written and delivered notice, a tenant who simply moves out remains exposed to claims for additional rent and may have a harder time recovering the security deposit.
Use this notice when you have a periodic tenancy — month-to-month is the most common form, but the same rule applies to week-to-week or other periodic arrangements (a week-to-week tenancy needs at least 7 days’ written notice under § 27-40-770(a)). The 30 days notice for month-to-month applies regardless of how long you have lived in the unit. Many states impose longer notice obligations on landlords than on tenants — those longer landlord rules do not flow back to tenants. As a tenant on a month-to-month tenancy in South Carolina, you give the 30 days period stated in S.C. Code § 27-40-770 every time.
This is not the right form for a fixed-term lease. If you have a lease with a defined end date and you intend to leave at the natural end of the term, the lease itself sets the end date — although it is good practice to send a written notice anyway to confirm your intent and trigger the security deposit clock. If you want to leave a fixed-term lease early, the 30 days notice does not apply: you need either a lease provision authorizing early termination, the landlord’s written agreement to release you, or a statutory ground (the landlord’s uncured material noncompliance under S.C. Code § 27-40-610, early termination by a domestic-violence victim who qualifies as a protected tenant under S.C. Code § 27-40-350, or military deployment under federal SCRA at 50 U.S.C. § 3955). Sending a § 27-40-770 notice on a fixed-term lease without one of those grounds typically does not end your rent liability under South Carolina law.
Tenant notice vs. landlord notice: A common point of confusion. In most states the rules are asymmetric — landlords often face longer notice obligations (sometimes scaled to length of tenancy or limited to “just cause” grounds) while tenants on a periodic tenancy give a single fixed notice period. South Carolina requires a tenant to give 30 days’ written notice under S.C. Code § 27-40-770 regardless of how long you have lived in the unit. Any longer landlord notice rule does not flow back to you — your obligation is the 30 days stated in the statute.