Horry County, South Carolina Eviction Risk: Low

Horry County scores 2.5/10 (Moderate) on eviction risk, placing it in the lower-risk third of South Carolina eviction laws: only 10 of the state's 46 counties carry less risk for landlords, while 35 carry more. For investors evaluating the Grand Strand market, that ranking translates to a county where operating conditions are workable, but not uniform. Rent burden sits at an average 29.6% of income across the county's renter households, and the average market rent is $1,252 per month, figures that suggest tenants here are stretched but not at crisis levels as a whole.

The broader picture, though, is shaped by a 2.9 to 4.9 range across the county's 20 cities. That gap of two full points on the risk scale means a landlord in the county's safest market faces meaningfully different conditions than one a few miles inland. Portfolio decisions made at the county level will miss the variation that actually determines collection reliability and vacancy patterns.

The cities inside Horry County

Loris and Atlantic Beach each score 4.9/10, the highest in the county, and represent the pockets where landlords should expect the tightest margins and the greatest potential for payment disruption. Conway (4.7/10, population 27,263), Carolina Forest (4.7/10, population 26,263), and Socastee (4.7/10, population 23,796) account for a combined total well above 75,000 residents and share that elevated tier, making them significant in both scale and risk exposure. Red Hill (4.6/10) and Surfside Beach (4.6/10) round out the upper cluster.

On the other end, Myrtle Beach scores just 3.1/10 despite being the county's most populous city at 38,371 residents. Garden City comes in at 3.7/10. These lower-risk cities share an economy driven heavily by tourism-sector employment and a high proportion of short-term housing, which shapes renter profiles differently from the inland residential markets. The difference between Myrtle Beach and Loris is not trivial: it is the difference between a moderate-risk and a near-high-risk operating environment, and investors should underwrite accordingly.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Horry County operates under the South Carolina eviction laws Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (S.C. Code S 27-40). For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is 5 days. Lease violations with an opportunity to cure require 14 days notice, and no-cause terminations at end of term require 30 days. The South Carolina eviction laws eviction process from filing to lockout runs 21 to 45 days uncontested and 45 to 100 days when a tenant contests the action. Court filing fees range from $110 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add $25 to $100, and attorney fees typically run $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity. South Carolina eviction costs can therefore reach several thousand dollars on a contested case, making preventive screening a strong economic priority.

South Carolina eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts any local rent control ordinance, so landlords in Horry County face no patchwork of local restrictions on rent increases or eviction grounds. Source of income is not a protected class under state law. For a full breakdown of deposit rules and other tenant obligations, see the South Carolina security deposit limits and South Carolina tenant protections guides. Landlords should note that S.C. Code S 27-40 requires 24 hours advance notice before entry, and the anti-retaliation statute at S.C. Code S 27-40-910 applies statewide.

With an average poverty rate of 14.9% and a renter share of 29.7% across the county, Horry County's risk profile reflects a community where a meaningful segment of tenants faces financial pressure, even if the county aggregate sits in the lower-risk tier statewide. The city grid above breaks that pressure down city by city, giving landlords and investors a street-level view of where in the county the risk is concentrated.