Free South Carolina Security Deposit Itemization

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Free South Carolina Security Deposit Itemization — overview

A South Carolina Security Deposit Itemization is the written notice a landlord sends under S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410(a) when keeping any part of a security deposit or prepaid rent. The statute allows deductions only for accrued rent and for damages the landlord suffered because the tenant did not meet the maintenance duties in § 27-40-510, and it requires every deduction to be itemized in a written notice to the tenant, sent together with any amount due, within thirty days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is later. If the landlord fails to return the deposit with that notice, § 27-40-410(b) lets the tenant recover three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney’s fees. The form on this page produces a complete itemized notice with a built-in deductions calculator; the rest of this guide explains the legal framework, what can and cannot be deducted, and the records that support each line.

▶ Watch: South Carolina Security Deposit Itemization — S.C. Code § 27-40-410 explained

What this itemization does

A South Carolina Security Deposit Itemization is the written notice a landlord gives a tenant under S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410(a) at the end of a tenancy when any part of the security deposit or prepaid rent is kept. It does three jobs at once.

First, it itemizes every deduction. The statute says “Any deduction from the security/rental deposit must be itemized by the landlord in a written notice to the tenant.” A general line such as “deductions for cleaning and damage” does not tell the tenant what each charge is for or how it was priced. Each line should identify the item, the amount and whether it is accrued rent or a repair for damage the tenant caused, so the tenant — and a court, if it comes to that — can check it against the lease and the move-in condition.

Second, it delivers the money. Section 27-40-410(a) requires the itemized notice to go to the tenant “together with the amount due, if any.” Sending the notice now and the refund later, or holding the refund until the tenant agrees with the deductions, does not match that text, and the remedy in § 27-40-410(b) attaches to a failure to return the deposit “with the notice required.”

Third, it fixes the timing. The 30 days run from “termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is later.” Recording the date the tenancy ended, the date the keys came back and the date of any written demand from the tenant lets the landlord show the notice was on time. Section 27-40-240(D) adds that the time within which an act is to be done is computed by reference to the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure.

The form on this page produces a complete itemized notice with a built-in deductions calculator, automatic balance computation, the statutory references and a delivery block. The rest of this guide explains the legal framework, what can and cannot be deducted, and the records that make each line defensible.

South Carolina legal framework — S.C. Code § 27-40-410

South Carolina’s security deposit rules are in the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, S.C. Code Title 27, Chapter 40. The core provision is S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410, captioned “Security deposits; prepaid rent.” It is short — five subsections — and it does not contain several rules found in other states’ deposit statutes, such as a dollar threshold for attaching receipts, a pre-move-out inspection or a cap on the deposit amount. What it does contain is set out below.

The provisions that matter for itemization

§ 27-40-410(a) — what may be kept, and the itemized notice. On termination of the tenancy, property or money held as security “must be returned less amounts withheld by the landlord for accrued rent and damages which the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant’s noncompliance with Section 27-40-510.” Any deduction “must be itemized by the landlord in a written notice to the tenant together with the amount due, if any, within thirty days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is later.”

§ 27-40-410(a) — forwarding address. The tenant “shall provide the landlord in writing with a forwarding address or new address.” If the tenant does not, the tenant “is not entitled to damages under this subsection provided the landlord (1) had no notice of the tenant’s whereabouts and (2) mailed the written notice and amount due, if any, to the tenant’s last known address.”

§ 27-40-410(b) — the remedy. If the landlord “fails to return to the tenant any prepaid rent or security/rental deposit with the notice required to be sent by the landlord pursuant to subsection (a), the tenant may recover the property and money in an amount equal to three times the amount wrongfully withheld and reasonable attorney’s fees.”

§ 27-40-410(c) through (e). Subsection (c) applies to a landlord who rents more than four adjoining dwelling units on the premises and uses different standards to calculate deposits: the standards must be posted or given to each prospective tenant, or the part of a tenant’s deposit above the lowest deposit for a comparable unit cannot be used for damage deductions. Subsection (d) preserves any other damages either party may recover under the chapter, and subsection (e) binds the holder of the landlord’s interest at the time the tenancy ends, subject to § 27-40-450.

The tenant duties that define “damages” — § 27-40-510

Because damage deductions are tied to “the tenant’s noncompliance with Section 27-40-510,” that section sets the standard. It requires the tenant to, among other things, keep the dwelling unit and the part of the premises the tenant uses reasonably safe and reasonably clean; dispose of ashes, garbage and other waste in a reasonably clean and safe manner; keep plumbing fixtures reasonably clean; use electrical, plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and other facilities and appliances in a reasonable manner; and “not deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, impair, or remove any part of the premises” or knowingly permit a guest to do so. A move-out condition that traces back to one of those duties is a candidate for a deduction; one that does not is not. Our South Carolina Move-In/Move-Out Checklist is the simplest way to document the starting and ending condition.

Notice, good faith and fair housing

Section 27-40-240 explains when a tenant “receives” a notice: when it comes to the tenant’s attention, or when it is “delivered in hand to the tenant or mailed by registered or certified mail” to the place the tenant designated for receiving communications or, if there is none, “to the tenant’s last known place of residence.” It adds that “Proof of mailing pursuant to this subsection constitutes notice without proof of receipt.” Section 27-40-220 imposes an obligation of good faith on every duty under the chapter, and § 27-40-210(5) defines good faith as “honesty in fact in the conduct of the transaction concerned.”

Independent of the state statute, the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.) prohibits discrimination in the terms and conditions of a rental because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin or disability. Applying stricter deduction standards to some tenants than to others on one of those bases is a fair-housing problem separate from § 27-40-410.

When and how to deliver

The 30-day clock

The statute counts from “termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is later.” In practice, record three dates: the date the tenancy ended under the lease or the notice, the date the tenant returned the keys or otherwise delivered possession, and the date of any written demand the tenant made for the deposit. Calendar 30 days from the latest of them — and aim to finish well before that, because a late notice is the easiest defect for a tenant to prove. Section 27-40-240(D) points to the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure for computing time.

Within that window the landlord should send both the itemized notice and any amount due. Section 27-40-410(a) ties them together (“together with the amount due, if any”), and the § 27-40-410(b) remedy turns on a failure to return the deposit “with the notice required.”

Method of delivery

Section 27-40-410 does not prescribe a delivery method, but § 27-40-240(B)(3) says a tenant receives a notice when it is “delivered in hand to the tenant or mailed by registered or certified mail” to the place the tenant designated or, absent a designation, the tenant’s last known place of residence, and that proof of that mailing “constitutes notice without proof of receipt.” Certified mail with a mailing receipt is therefore the method that leaves the landlord with a clean record. First-class mail or email may reach the tenant, but neither is a method named in § 27-40-240, so if you use one, keep evidence that the tenant actually received the notice.

Delivery address

The tenant is required to give the landlord a forwarding address in writing. If the tenant did, send the notice and the amount due there. If the tenant did not, § 27-40-410(a) protects a landlord who “had no notice of the tenant’s whereabouts” and “mailed the written notice and amount due, if any, to the tenant’s last known address” — which is often the rental unit itself. If you do know where the tenant went (for example, a new address in an email or text), that protection may not apply, so send the notice to the address you know as well.

Damage discovered after the notice is sent

Section 27-40-410 does not address supplemental itemizations. The practical answer is to finish the inspection, obtain contractor pricing and assemble photographs before the notice goes out, so the notice is complete the first time. Section 27-40-410(d) preserves other damages a landlord may be entitled to recover under the chapter, but a claim outside the deposit notice is a separate matter to raise with counsel.

What South Carolina lets you deduct

Section 27-40-410(a) names only two things a South Carolina landlord may withhold from a security deposit: “accrued rent” and “damages which the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant’s noncompliance with Section 27-40-510.” Every line on the itemization should fit one of those.

1. Accrued rent

Rent that came due and was not paid. The Act defines “rent” in § 27-40-210(11) as “the consideration payable for use of the premises including late charges,” so late charges payable under the rental agreement are part of rent for this purpose. Support the line with the lease, the rent ledger and the date each missed payment was due.

2. Damages from the tenant’s noncompliance with § 27-40-510

Physical damage the tenant or a guest caused deliberately or negligently — holes, broken fixtures, pet damage, burns, stains — and costs caused by a failure to meet the other § 27-40-510 duties, such as hauling away garbage left behind or cleaning plumbing fixtures the tenant did not keep reasonably clean. Describe what was damaged, where, and what it cost to repair. Repairs are covered in detail in section 5.

3. Cleaning

Cleaning is not a separate statutory category in South Carolina; it is deductible to the extent it traces to a § 27-40-510 duty, such as the duty to keep the premises “reasonably clean.” A unit returned reasonably clean does not generate a cleaning charge; heavy grease, trash left behind, pet waste or odor remediation may. Itemize what was cleaned and why.

4. Utilities and other lease charges

Section 27-40-410(a) does not list utilities or other fees separately. An unpaid utility bill that the lease makes the tenant’s responsibility may be recoverable from the tenant under the lease, but whether it can be taken from the deposit depends on how it fits the two statutory categories. If you include it, label it clearly and enclose the bill.

What does not fit either category: deterioration from ordinary, reasonable use of the unit; repairs to conditions that existed before the tenancy; the landlord’s routine turnover work such as repainting on a normal cycle; advertising or leasing costs for the next tenant; flat “move-out” or administrative fees; and any charge you cannot tie to accrued rent or a § 27-40-510 breach.

Wear and tear vs. damage — the standard

The wear-versus-damage distinction is where most security deposit disputes are decided. South Carolina’s statute does not use the phrase “normal wear and tear.” Instead, § 27-40-410(a) limits damage deductions to losses the landlord suffered “by reason of the tenant’s noncompliance with Section 27-40-510” — and ordinary, reasonable use of a home is not a breach of those duties. The practical line is the familiar one: deterioration from normal living is the landlord’s cost; damage from negligence, abuse or deliberate acts is the tenant’s. The challenge is deciding which side of the line a given condition falls on.

Working definitions

Normal wear and tear is the deterioration that comes from ordinary, intended use of a home by a tenant of average care: paint that fades from sunlight, carpet that flattens in walkways, light scuffs from furniture, small nail holes from hanging pictures, faint scratches on hardwood, mineral deposits on fixtures, and parts that wear out or fail simply because of age.

Damage is deterioration caused by negligence, carelessness, accident, abuse or deliberate acts of the tenant, a household member, a guest or a pet. Examples: holes larger than picture-hanging holes, broken windows or fixtures, broken cabinet doors, pet urine in carpet or padding, gouged floors, burns, water damage from a leak the tenant did not report, smoke damage, missing items, and trash or heavy soiling left behind.

Borderline cases and how to handle them

Most South Carolina disputes are not at the extremes; they are in the middle. Four common situations:

Carpet replacement. Carpet has a limited useful life, so replacing old carpet at the end of a tenancy is largely a cost of ownership. Where the tenant did damage carpet (pet stains, burns, tears), the defensible charge is usually the portion of the carpet’s remaining useful life that the damage used up — a prorated amount — not the full price of new carpet. Keep the purchase date and price of the carpet so you can show the math.

Repainting. Interior paint in a rental is repainted on a regular cycle anyway. If the walls show only normal wear, repainting is the landlord’s turnover cost. If the tenant caused specific damage — large marks, crayon, holes, smoke discoloration, an unapproved color — the cost of correcting that damage is a candidate for a deduction, but a full repaint of a unit that was already due for one generally is not.

Cleaning. A unit returned in reasonably clean condition does not generate a cleaning charge just because the landlord cleans between tenants. Heavy grease, pet waste or odor, smoke residue, mold caused by the tenant’s neglect, or trash and belongings left behind can support a charge. Describe exactly what was cleaned and why.

Pet damage. Scratched doors and floors, chewed trim, stains and urine odor in the subfloor are damage. Charge for the specific repair, not for general wear elsewhere in the unit, and check whether a separate pet deposit or pet fee in the lease already covers the item.

Documentation that settles a wear-versus-damage question

The strongest record is a signed move-in checklist with date-stamped photographs, a move-out checklist with matching photographs taken from the same angles, invoices or estimates that describe the exact work charged, and — for older items — a short useful-life calculation showing the proration. A landlord with that record can explain every line on the itemization; a landlord without it is left arguing from memory.

Receipts, estimates and supporting records

South Carolina’s statute has no receipts rule. Section 27-40-410(a) requires each deduction to be “itemized … in a written notice”; it does not set a dollar threshold above which receipts must be attached, and it does not require estimates or a later mailing of final receipts. Rules like those come from other states’ statutes and do not apply to a South Carolina rental.

That said, a tenant who disputes a deduction can sue under § 27-40-410(b), and the landlord will then need to show that the amount withheld was not “wrongfully withheld.” The records that do that are the same ones a receipts rule would demand.

Invoices and receipts for completed work

If the repair or cleaning has been done by the time the notice goes out, keep and enclose the vendor’s invoice or paid receipt showing the vendor, the date, the work performed and the price. A note that says “$200 to ABC Cleaning” is not a receipt; ABC Cleaning’s invoice is.

Written estimates for work not yet done

If the repair has not been completed before the 30-day deadline, a written estimate from the contractor who will do the work supports the amount. Keep the final invoice when the work is finished, in case the tenant challenges the charge.

The landlord’s own labor

If you do the work yourself, record the date, the task, the hours and the hourly rate, and be ready to explain why the rate is reasonable (for example, by comparison with local contractor pricing). “8 hours at $25/hour degreasing the oven, range hood and kitchen cabinets, time log enclosed” is supportable; “my time, $200” is not.

Photographs and checklists

Date-stamped move-in and move-out photographs of the same areas, together with a signed move-in checklist, are the most persuasive evidence that a condition is new damage rather than pre-existing wear.

The form’s Evidence column records, for each line, whether a receipt, estimate, photo or time log is enclosed. Lines marked “Receipt attached” or “Estimate attached” are flagged * on the PDF.

Required information for the document

S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410(a) does not prescribe a form, but it does require a written notice that itemizes each deduction and travels with the amount due. In practice, an itemization that works as evidence contains the elements below.

Header information

The parties and the tenancy. The landlord’s name (or the property management company), the names of all tenants on the lease, the rental address, the lease start date and the date the tenant vacated. Without these, the document cannot be tied to this tenancy.

Deposit information

The deposit total. The amount of the security deposit actually paid. If the tenant also prepaid rent, list it separately — § 27-40-410(b) covers “any prepaid rent or security/rental deposit.”

Itemized deductions

Each deduction on its own line, with a specific description (not “cleaning” but “oven, range hood and refrigerator degreasing”), the amount, the category (unpaid rent, repair, cleaning, and so on) and a note of the supporting record that is enclosed.

Calculation

The total of the deductions and the result: the balance being returned to the tenant or, if the deductions are larger than the deposit, the amount the tenant still owes. Show the arithmetic rather than only the bottom line.

Supporting records

Copies of invoices, receipts or contractor estimates, photographs of the conditions charged, and the move-in and move-out checklists. Sending copies with the itemization answers most tenant questions before they become disputes.

Delivery and signature

The address the itemization is sent to, the method of delivery, the date, and the landlord’s or agent’s signature with printed name and title. The form on this page prints each of these.

Common mistakes that expose landlords to damages

Most South Carolina deposit disputes turn less on whether a repair was needed than on how the deduction was handled. These are the defects that expose a landlord to the § 27-40-410(b) remedy.

Vague descriptions

“Cleaning.” “Wall repair.” “General damage.” Lines like these do not itemize anything. Specific descriptions do: “Oven and range degreasing, $85.” “Patch and paint two 4-inch holes, living room wall, $145.” “Replace pet-stained carpet pad, master bedroom, prorated, $175.” Specific lines let the tenant see that each charge is tenant-caused damage rather than ordinary wear.

Charging for ordinary wear

Repainting walls that are simply due for paint, replacing carpet at the end of its life, charging for routine turnover cleaning of a reasonably clean unit, or filling picture-hanging nail holes are costs of ordinary use, not damage from a § 27-40-510 breach.

Charges outside the two statutory categories

Flat move-out fees, “administrative” charges, re-leasing costs and similar items are neither accrued rent nor damage from the tenant’s noncompliance with § 27-40-510. Keeping deposit money for them is the kind of withholding a tenant can challenge as wrongful.

Late notice

The notice is due within 30 days after the later of the termination-and-possession date or the tenant’s demand. Keep a record of each date and calendar the deadline the day the keys come back.

Holding back the amount due

Sending the itemization and then “holding” the refund until the tenant agrees, or sending the refund weeks later, does not follow § 27-40-410(a), which requires the notice “together with the amount due.”

Mailing to an old address when you know the new one

The last-known-address safe harbor in § 27-40-410(a) applies only where the landlord “had no notice of the tenant’s whereabouts.” If the tenant told you where they moved — even informally — send the notice there.

No proof of mailing

Under § 27-40-240(B)(3), proof of registered or certified mailing to the proper address constitutes notice without proof of receipt. Without that proof, a landlord may be left arguing about whether the notice was ever received.

Tenant remedies under S.C. Code § 27-40-410(b)

South Carolina tenants have a short list of statutory rights at move-out, and one strong remedy when those rights are not honored. Knowing them is the landlord’s best reason to get the itemization right.

Right to an itemized notice and the amount due within 30 days

Under § 27-40-410(a), any deduction must be itemized in a written notice to the tenant, sent together with the amount due, within thirty days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is later.

Three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney’s fees

If the landlord fails to return prepaid rent or the deposit with the required notice, § 27-40-410(b) lets the tenant “recover the property and money in an amount equal to three times the amount wrongfully withheld and reasonable attorney’s fees.” The multiplier applies to the amount wrongfully withheld, not automatically to the whole deposit. Worked example: a landlord keeps $600 of a $1,500 deposit, and a court finds $400 of that was wrongfully withheld. Three times $400 is $1,200, and the tenant may also recover reasonable attorney’s fees.

The forwarding-address condition

The tenant is required to give a forwarding address in writing. A tenant who does not is “not entitled to damages under this subsection” if the landlord had no notice of the tenant’s whereabouts and mailed the notice and any amount due to the last known address.

Other damages are preserved

Section 27-40-410(d) states that the section “does not preclude the landlord or tenant from recovering other damages to which he may be entitled under this chapter or otherwise.” A deposit dispute can therefore sit alongside other claims either party has under the lease or the Act.

Retaliation

Section 27-40-910 prohibits a landlord from retaliating by raising rent above fair-market value, decreasing essential services or bringing an action for possession after the tenant has complained to a governmental agency about a code violation materially affecting health and safety, or complained to the landlord of a violation of the chapter. A deposit decision that follows such a complaint should be well documented and applied the same way it would be for any other tenant.

Bottom line for landlords. A specific, timely, documented itemized notice sent with the amount due is the cheapest protection available against a deposit claim. The documentation takes a few hours; getting it wrong can cost three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus the tenant’s attorney’s fees. The form on this page handles the mechanics; the analysis above is the legal context.

South Carolina statute reference table

Citations are to the South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 27, Chapter 40, as published by the South Carolina Legislature (scstatehouse.gov) and reviewed in September 2026. Statutes change; confirm the current text before relying on it in a contested matter.

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This form and the accompanying guidance are provided for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. South Carolina landlord-tenant law can change through legislation and court decisions, and how S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410 (security deposits; prepaid rent), § 27-40-510 (tenant duties) and § 27-40-240 (notice) apply depends on the facts of each tenancy. Always verify current requirements in the South Carolina Code or with a qualified South Carolina landlord-tenant attorney before relying on this itemized notice in a contested deposit matter. Review South Carolina security deposit laws.