As COVID eviction ban ends, SC renters more likely in debt than most of US, study says

A national study analyzing rent debt during the COVID-19 pandemic found that South Carolinians are far more likely to owe rent than tenants elsewhere. When the federal moratorium on evictions ends Saturday, renters in more than 119,000 households across the state could be forced to move, according to the data

Researchers from Surgo Ventures — a non-profit focused on public health — combined data from bi-weekly Census Bureau surveys taken during COVID-19 and data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to estimate the effects of rent debt on each county in the U.S.

They found that in all but three South Carolina counties — Charleston, Oconee and Pickens — at least 20% of tenants are behind on rent payments. Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Hampton and Orangeburg counties fare the worst, with 30% of tenants falling behind on rent.

Nationally, about 14.7% of renters owe money.

Aaron Dibner-Dunlap, one of the researchers, said his team chose to analyze data on the county level so they could precisely pinpoint who was struggling the most.

“People tend to feel more connected with what’s happening around them,” he said. “So if we can show them the link that where they are living is more or less prone to rental arrears, it can be a more powerful lever for action.”

The data in the study spanned from April 2020 to July 2021. The results showed that South Carolina’s situation has not significantly improved since the peak of the pandemic in February 2021, when 25% of renters in the state were behind on rent.

The study suggests that part of the problem may be because of the slow distribution of federal relief money.

“A lot of these processes for distributing this type of aid are totally new, so there has certainly been friction in running these programs,” Dibner-Dunlap said.

In December, Congress allocated South Carolina $271 million for rent assistance. Several counties also received their own allocations.

The state legislature passed a bill authorizing the use of that money in April. As of July 23 the statewide program had only paid out $1.4 million, according to SC Housing spokesperson Chris Winston.

He explained that in many cases, getting the necessary documentation from applicants had lead to delays and that SC housing recently eliminated some of those requirements to speed up the process.

Though there’s a higher percentage of renters with debt in South Carolina, generally tenants here do not owe as much money, especially when compared to those in states like California, Florida, and New Jersey. On average, renters here owe around $2,798 compared to a national average of $3,800.

Still, there are some exceptions. Renters in Charleston County owe an average of $4,174 while those in Jasper and Beaufort counties owe an average $4,006. Dibner-Dunlap explained that the areas with higher rental arrears tend to have a higher cost of living in general.

With the deadline for the eviction moratorium looming, Dibner-Dunlap said he hopes the study prompts local leaders to consider measures that would lessen the burden on renters such as free legal counsel for those facing eviction.

“We hope this will serve as a call to action and that local officials will do everything they can to help renters and landlords get out of this situation.”

Tenants in need can still apply for rent aid through SC Housing by visiting their website or calling 1-800-476-0412. Residents Anderson, Berkeley, Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Richland and Spartanburg counties must apply through their county-wide program instead.