Columbia, SC Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Sec. 5-336(b) governs how tenants and others report problems: "Each complainant shall be requested to state his/her name and addresses and give a statement of the facts giving rise to the complainant's belief that the provisions of this article are being violated. " A complainant can be subpoenaed to testify if the case proceeds to a revocation or denial hearing. Sec. 5-336(a) separately allows inspection of any permitted rental unit for violations of the rental housing article or the International Property Maintenance Code at any reasonable time, but the city cannot enter an occupied unit without either the occupant's consent or a warrant.

Every rental property must carry a permit under Sec. 5-326, and Sec. 5-329(c) requires the owner or a responsible local representative within 45 miles to be reachable enough to answer "tenant and emergency calls with reasonable dispatch" and to give tenants the name, address and phone number for repairs. Complaints that substantiate a violation feed into the points system in Sec. 5-330, where citations for property maintenance, zoning, nuisance, animal control or law-enforcement violations accumulate against the rental permit and can lead to revocation once 15 points build up within 12 months.