Horry County Landlord Guide: Myrtle Beach, Vacation Rentals, and SC Eviction Law
Few rental markets in the Southeast blend the complexity of short-term vacation rentals, rapid permanent population growth, and a seasonal workforce economy quite like Horry County. Landlords here face a broader range of property management decisions than their counterparts in most other South Carolina counties: whether to operate as a long-term residential landlord under the SC Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, as a vacation rental operator under the SC Vacation Rental Act, or to split the difference with seasonal leases that sit somewhere between the two frameworks. Getting this framework decision right — before a dispute arises — is foundational to effective property management on the Grand Strand.
Long-Term Residential Rentals: The Standard SC Framework
For residential tenancies of sufficient duration — generally six months or more — the South Carolina Residential Landlord and Tenant Act governs the relationship. This means the 5-day notice requirement under SC Code § 27-40-710 applies when rent goes unpaid, and a Summary Ejectment proceeding through Horry County Magistrate Court is required to remove a non-paying or lease-violating tenant. Horry County Magistrate Court handles this process with reasonable efficiency, typically scheduling hearings within 10 days of filing. The county’s growth means caseload has increased, but the basic timeline of two to four weeks from filing to writ of ejectment holds in most non-contested cases.
For long-term residential landlords in the county’s inland and suburban areas — Carolina Forest, Socastee, Conway, Loris — the market dynamics are straightforward: growing population, solid demand, relatively stable tenant pools. These areas attract workforce tenants, families priced out of closer coastal communities, and the substantial retiree population that has made Horry County one of the top retirement destinations in the country. Retirees on Social Security or pension income can be highly desirable long-term tenants: income is predictable, they tend to maintain properties well, and turnover is low. The downside is that income sources may not scale with rent increases over time, which matters in a rising-rent market.
The SC Vacation Rental Act and Short-Term Rentals
South Carolina has a separate statutory framework for vacation rentals: SC Code § 27-50-210 et seq., the Vacation Rental Act. This statute governs rental arrangements where the property is used “primarily for vacation, leisure, or recreation purposes” for periods typically under 90 days. Properties operating under this framework are not subject to the standard residential landlord-tenant eviction process — there is no 5-day notice and Summary Ejectment proceeding for a guest who overstays. Instead, the removal of a holdover vacation tenant typically involves a different legal process more akin to removing a trespasser, and the rights and obligations of both parties differ from the residential tenancy framework.
For Horry County landlords, the practical implication is significant: if your property is marketed on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, or Vacasa under short-term rental agreements, you are likely operating under the Vacation Rental Act, not the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. This means different rules, different remedies, and different municipal licensing requirements. The City of Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, and unincorporated Horry County each have their own STR permit requirements, and compliance is enforced with increasing rigor as the municipalities respond to neighborhood concerns about STR density and noise. Failure to obtain required permits can result in fines and forced closure of the STR operation — eliminating rental income without any eviction-related protections.
Seasonal Leases and the Middle Ground
Many Horry County landlords operate in a middle ground — leasing properties for three to six months to seasonal workers, snowbirds, or visiting extended-stay guests. These arrangements can be ambiguous in their legal classification. A written lease of three months is likely a residential tenancy governed by the SC Landlord and Tenant Act; a series of weekly vacation rental agreements covering the same period likely is not. The difference matters enormously if a dispute arises. For seasonal arrangements in the two-to-six-month range, the safest approach is to use a properly drafted residential lease, apply the 5-day notice process if payment lapses, and file Summary Ejectment at Magistrate Court if necessary. A poorly documented arrangement — verbal agreements, informal check-in procedures, no written lease — can make it difficult to establish which legal framework applies, leaving the landlord in a procedural no-man’s land.
Security Deposits in a High-Turnover Market
Horry County’s high-turnover rental environment — both among tourist-economy workforce tenants and among seasonal renters — means security deposit management is a material issue. South Carolina imposes no cap on deposit amounts, and landlords with higher-risk rental situations (furnished units, coastal properties prone to humidity damage, properties near beach access with high traffic) often set deposits at higher multiples. The 30-day return requirement under SC Code § 27-40-530 is unforgiving. The clock starts when the tenancy ends and the tenant surrenders possession — which in practice means as soon as keys are returned or the tenant moves out. For landlords managing multiple units with back-to-back turnovers, this timeline requires disciplined property inspection and accounting processes.
Document every unit at move-in and move-out with timestamped photos and a written condition checklist. For furnished vacation-adjacent units, inventory the furnishings at the start of each tenancy. If deductions are warranted, the itemized accounting letter must be specific — “general cleaning” or “miscellaneous repairs” will not survive a tenant challenge in Magistrate Court. In a county where many tenants rotate through annually, some landlords have found that clear upfront communication about the deposit accounting process reduces disputes at turnover.
Horry County’s Growth Trajectory and Landlord Opportunity
Horry County’s population growth trajectory is among the most sustained in the country. Net in-migration from higher-cost states has driven consistent population increases of 3–5% annually in recent years, and there is no credible projection that this trend reverses in the near term. New residential construction has been aggressive but has not kept pace with demand in the most desirable coastal zip codes, keeping vacancy rates tight and supporting rent growth. For long-term residential landlords, this is a favorable operating environment — the challenge is competition from the STR sector, which can draw properties away from the long-term rental market when vacation rental economics are favorable.
The hospitality and service sector that supports Grand Strand tourism employs a significant workforce that requires year-round, workforce-affordable housing. This creates a structural demand segment that STRs do not serve — and that long-term residential landlords can serve profitably with well-managed properties in the $900–$1,500/month range. Areas like Socastee, the Carolina Forest community, and inland Conway offer entry price points for landlord investment that coastal properties cannot, with stable workforce tenant pools that are less seasonal and less transient than the beach-adjacent markets.
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