Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from constituent census tracts, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
22.9%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Awendaw, SC, tenants prevail in roughly 22.9% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
40d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Awendaw, SC until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 40 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.6–4.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Awendaw, SC costs landlords $1,611 to $4,065 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,671
29% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Awendaw, SC is $1,671 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 29% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
6.3%
of households
6.3% of occupied housing units in Awendaw, SC are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
15.9%
11.1% unemp.
15.9% of Awendaw, SC residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 11.1%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +5.7% (2024)
6.1
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.1
State political climate
South Carolina legislature & governorship
2.1
Economic stress
15.9% poverty · 11.1% unemp.
8.0
Supply constraint
$1,671 average · 6.3% renters
6.1
Rent Control risk
28.9% of income on rent
9.6
Eviction process difficulty
40 days filing → judgment
1.7
Tenant organizing strength
6.3% renters
2.5
Housing court bias
County bench composition
8.3
Geographic context
Risk heat across Awendaw and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Awendaw compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Charleston County
Very High
#1of 16 cities
#1 of 16 cities in Charleston County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in South Carolina
Very High
#42of 472 cities
#42 of 472 cities in South Carolina for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.9
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 2.9/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend-0.2 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
40d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,671/mo. A contested eviction takes 40 days and costs $1,611–$4,065 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6.3%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,772 residents, 6.3% rent. 29% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 15.9% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.1
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.1 and 6.1 (Dem margin +5.7% (2024)). State climate at 2.1, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2.1
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2.1/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 1.7, housing court bias 8.3, rent-control risk 9.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.3 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
8
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 8. Supply constraint: 6.1. The numbers behind those: 15.9% poverty, 11.1% unemployment, 29% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Awendaw sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Awendaw · 40d · ~$2.8k all-in ($71/day) · score 2.9National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Awendaw, South Carolina, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.9/10 (LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Awendaw is a city of 1,772 residents where 6.3% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 28.9% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,671/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Awendaw eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.7/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Awendaw closes 40 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Awendaw's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 8.3/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Awendaw runs $1,611 to $4,065 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 40 days of typical timeline and $1,671/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 2.5/10 in Awendaw, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (9.6/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In South Carolina, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Awendaw: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match South Carolina's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $4,065 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Awendaw
Trap · D+12.9
Awendaw reflects the demographic and political composition of Charleston County, with eviction procedure governed at the state level. Charleston County 2020 margin: D+12.9.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, county-level. Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 860 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 1.16× the historical baseline (near baseline). Past 12 months: 11,354 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 54,638.
860Past month
11,354Past 12 months
1.16×vs baseline (past mo)
35.5%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least five days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: $40 filing fee.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Filings stayed roughly flat over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What's the fastest way to get a tenant out in Awendaw?
The fastest way is often through a "cash for keys" agreement, where you pay the tenant to vacate voluntarily and quickly. Legally, you must follow the 5-day pay-or-quit notice for non-payment, then file in court. Trying to force a tenant out without proper legal procedure is illegal and will cost you more.
Q2
Can I charge whatever I want for a security deposit in Awendaw?
South Carolina has no statutory cap on security deposits. While you have flexibility, it's common practice to charge one to two months' rent. Keep it reasonable to attract good tenants, and always follow the 30-day return deadline.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Awendaw?
You can represent yourself in magistrate court for an eviction. However, given Awendaw's 8.3/10 housing court bias sub-score, hiring an attorney is highly recommended. They ensure proper procedure, present your case effectively, and can navigate any tenant defenses, potentially saving you time and money in the long run.
Q4
What if my Awendaw tenant pays some rent after the 5-day notice?
Be very careful. Accepting a partial payment after serving a 5-day notice can sometimes be interpreted as waiving your right to evict based on that specific notice. If your goal is still to evict, do not accept partial payment without first consulting with an attorney. They can advise on how to proceed without jeopardizing your case.
Q5
How long does it typically take to evict someone in Awendaw?
A typical eviction in Awendaw takes around 40 days from the initial notice to the tenant vacating. This timeline can extend if the tenant fights the eviction, there are court delays, or procedural errors are made by the landlord.
A 2.9/10 places Awendaw in the 92nd percentile of South Carolina cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Awendaw (2.9/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
