Mobile home utilities in South Carolina

South Carolina has no mobile-home-park utility statute, but the general Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Title 27, Chapter 40) makes the landlord maintain the utilities it supplies and gives residents remedies when an essential service fails. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone disputing a specific charge or outage should consider consulting a licensed attorney in South Carolina.

What the statute says

Under S.C. Code Ann. §27-40-440(a), a landlord shall "comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety" and "make all repairs and do whatever is reasonably necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition," including maintaining the supplied utility facilities and common areas.

The remedy for an essential-service failure is in §27-40-630: if the landlord "is negligent or wilful in failing to provide essential services as required by the rental agreement or Section 27-40-440," the tenant, after written notice, may procure the service and deduct its reasonable cost, recover damages based on the diminished rental value, or — for a willful failure — recover possession or terminate, with reasonable attorney's fees. (A separate unlawful interruption of essential services is also covered by §27-40-660, with three months' rent or double damages.)

How it works in general

If a South Carolina landlord supplies the water, sewer, heat, or the electrical and plumbing systems, it has to keep them in a fit and habitable condition under the building and housing codes. When a landlord negligently or willfully fails to provide an essential service, the resident — after written notice — can buy the service and deduct the cost, sue for the lost rental value, or (for a willful cutoff) terminate and recover attorney's fees, with the stronger anti-ouster remedy if the landlord cut service to force the resident out. South Carolina's law does not cap utility markups or require submetering, so where a park bills for utilities the rental agreement sets the terms, and a regulated utility's rates are overseen by the Public Service Commission and the Office of Regulatory Staff.

Common scenarios

General examples South Carolina park residents commonly encounter:

• A supplied water or sewer system fails. The landlord must keep the premises fit and habitable under the codes (§27-40-440).
• A landlord fails to provide an essential service. After written notice the resident can procure-and- deduct, sue for lost value, or (if willful) terminate (§27-40-630).
• A resident questions a utility markup. South Carolina has no park submetering cap; the lease controls, and regulated rates fall to the Public Service Commission.

Other authorities that may apply

The Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (§§27-40-440, 27-40-630, 27-40-660) sets the maintenance duty and the essential-services remedies; the South Carolina Public Service Commission and Office of Regulatory Staff regulate jurisdictional utility service and rates. Because South Carolina has no park-specific law, there is no utility-markup cap or metering mandate — a gap this guide flags honestly. The written rental agreement sets the billing terms within the §27-40-440 duty.