South Carolina Home Transfer Planning

South Carolina doesn't currently have an enacted statutory transfer-on-death deed for real estate. The state's existing transfer-on-death designation law only covers titled personal property — think vehicles, mobile homes, watercraft, and outboard motors — not houses. That's an important distinction: a form built for transferring a car or boat carries no legal authority to transfer a home.

There is legislative movement, though nothing enacted yet. Senate Bill S. 49 would create a new statute authorizing real-property transfer-on-death deeds, while House Bill H. 4264 proposes a South Carolina Enhanced Life Estate Deed Act. Both remain bill text within the 2025-2026 legislative session rather than sections of the actual code, so families can't rely on either as a currently available planning tool.