This Classroom will teach you about some basic steps you can take if your landlord sues to evict you from where you live. The Classroom consists of individual Lessons. Each Lesson answer a basic questions about your rights as a tenant and about the eviction process. These Lessons should help you better understand your rights and how the legal process works. This Classroom is for people who are living in the home and paying rent. It does not apply to homeowners or commercial renters.
This Classroom assumes that you are starting at the beginning of the legal eviction process. The legal eviction process begins when a magistrate court issues a document called a "Rule to Vacate or Show Cause" and serves that Rule on the tenant (the person occupying property under a lease). If you already have had a court rule against you, you should contact an attorney or contact SC Legal Services to determine what your options might be. This classroom also assumes that you have NOT abandoned the property. If you abandon the property, the landlord may be able to enter and retake the property without obtaining approval from the court. Finally, this Classroom does not go into detail about additional protections that might be available to tenants who receive a federal subsidy, such as through Section 8 or through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. If you are a tenant who receives one or more federal subsidy, you should consult an attorney to better understand your rights. So let's get started . . . .
What is Eviction?
Eviction is the legal process that a landlord uses to retake possession of a dwelling unit (or other leased space) from a tenant who has not left voluntarily.
Watch this short video which will give you an overview of what an eviction is and how it works. Then check out the rest of this Classroom for more detailed information.
