Rentals of thirty consecutive days or longer fall outside Charleston's short-term-rental program and instead follow standard South Carolina landlord-tenant law, freeing owners from STR caps while still owing applicable city taxes.
Charleston defines a short-term rental as a stay under thirty consecutive days. Stays of thirty days or more are residential tenancies governed by the South Carolina Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (SC Code Title 27, Ch. 40) and not subject to the STR ordinance, accommodations tax, or Cat 1-4 permit categories. Hosts marketing month-plus stays must use written leases meeting URLTA disclosure standards, collect security deposits per state rules, and provide habitable conditions. Mid-stay shortenings to under thirty days reclassify the booking as a short-term rental retroactively, exposing hosts to permit and tax obligations.
Mislabeling short stays as long-term to evade STR rules triggers retroactive accommodations tax, $1,087 per-night fines, and possible criminal misdemeanor charges for tax evasion.
Charleston, SC
South Carolina URLTA requires landlords to return a tenant's security deposit, less itemized lawful deductions, within thirty days after termination of tenan...
Charleston, SC
Charleston requires a Short-Term Rental Permit under the Accommodations Ordinance (Chapter 29, Article X). All STR operators must register, obtain a business...
See how Charleston's extended home share rules stack up against other locations.
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