In court-decided eviction outcomes for Great Falls, SC, tenants prevail in roughly 18.0% 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
39d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Great Falls, SC until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 39 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.7–3.5k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Great Falls, SC costs landlords $1,650 to $3,513 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$867
43% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Great Falls, SC is $867 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 43% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
17.9%
of households
17.9% of occupied housing units in Great Falls, 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
33.5%
3.7% unemp.
33.5% of Great Falls, SC residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 3.7%. 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
GOP margin +17.2% (2024)
4.5
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.5
State political climate
South Carolina legislature & governorship
2.1
Economic stress
33.5% poverty · 3.7% unemp.
7.4
Supply constraint
$867 average · 17.9% renters
3.9
Rent Control risk
43.1% of income on rent
9.6
Eviction process difficulty
39 days filing → judgment
1.9
Tenant organizing strength
17.9% renters
3.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
9.4
Geographic context
Risk heat across Great Falls and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Great Falls compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Chester County
Very Low
#6of 7 cities
#6 of 7 cities in Chester County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in South Carolina
Moderate
#228of 472 cities
#228 of 472 cities in South Carolina for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.5
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 2.5/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend-0.6 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
39d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $867/mo. A contested eviction takes 39 days and costs $1,650–$3,513 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
17.9%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,690 residents, 17.9% rent. 43% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 33.5% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.5
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.5 and 4.5 (GOP margin +17.2% (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 1.9, housing court bias 9.4, rent-control risk 9.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.1 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
7.4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 7.4. Supply constraint: 3.9. The numbers behind those: 33.5% poverty, 3.7% unemployment, 43% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Great Falls sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Great Falls · 39d · ~$2.6k all-in ($66/day) · score 2.5National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Great Falls, South Carolina, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.5/10 (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.
Great Falls is a city of 1,690 residents where 17.9% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 43.1% of income on rent. At an average rent of $867/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 Great Falls eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.9/10, 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 Great Falls closes 39 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 Great Falls's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 9.4/10 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 Great Falls runs $1,650 to $3,513 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 39 days of typical timeline and $867/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.9/10 in Great Falls, 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 Great Falls: 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 $3,513 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Great Falls
Trap · 9.6/10
The 6.1/10 score weighs nine sub-factors including political climate, court bias, supply constraint, and tenant organizing strength. Great Falls's rent-control-risk sub-score is 9.6/10, driven by demographic and political pressure for tenant relief.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
How long does an eviction take in Great Falls, SC?
A typical eviction in Great Falls takes about 39 days from serving the initial notice to getting the tenant out. This is an average; a contested case can take longer, while an uncontested one might be slightly faster.
Q2
What is the most common reason for eviction in Great Falls?
Non-payment of rent is overwhelmingly the most common reason for eviction. Given Great Falls' 43.1% rent-to-income ratio and 7.4/10 economic stress score, many tenants struggle to meet rent obligations.
Q3
Can I evict a tenant in Great Falls without a reason?
Yes, South Carolina does not have statewide just-cause eviction requirements. For a month-to-month lease, you can terminate the tenancy with a 30-day notice without stating a specific reason. For a fixed-term lease, you generally must wait until the lease expires unless there's a lease violation.
Q4
How much does it cost to evict a tenant in Great Falls?
The total cost for an eviction in Great Falls typically ranges from $1,650 to $3,513. This includes court fees, potential attorney fees, and lost rent during the 39-day process.
Q5
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Great Falls?
While you can represent yourself in Magistrate's Court, it's highly recommended to consult or hire an attorney if the tenant contests the eviction, if the case is complex, or if you're unsure about the process. Mistakes can be costly and delay your possession of the property.
Q6
What are the rules for security deposits in South Carolina?
South Carolina has no statutory cap on security deposits. You must return the deposit or provide an itemized list of deductions within 30 days of the tenant vacating. Failure to do so can result in losing your right to keep any portion of the deposit.
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Great Falls, SC Eviction Risk 6.1/10: Landlord Playbook 2024
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Great Falls, SC's 6.1/10 eviction risk means 5-day notices and 39-day evictions. Costs average $1,650-$3,513. Get the landlord playbook here.
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Owning rental property in Great Falls, SC, comes with its own set of rules, and understanding the eviction landscape is critical. It's a smaller market, population 1,690, but that doesn't mean evictions are straightforward. Our dataset gives Great Falls an eviction risk score of 6.1/10, placing it in the elevated tier. This isn't a "set it and forget it" market; you need to be proactive and understand the local specifics to protect your investment.
A 6.1/10 risk score means you're dealing with factors that can make an eviction take longer and cost more than in some other South Carolina towns. Specifically, Great Falls shows an economic stress sub-score of 7.4/10 and a rent-to-income ratio of 43.1%. This tells you that many tenants are already stretched thin, making non-payment a higher probability. Your goal as a landlord here is to minimize that risk upfront and know exactly what to do if a tenant stops paying.
A 2.5/10 places Great Falls in the 55th 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 Great Falls (2.5/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
