SC HOA Complaint Report Released

SC Consumer Affairs News

Published February 4th, 2026

Detected March 17th, 2026

Summary

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs has released its 2026 Homeowners Association (HOA) Complaint Report, detailing 452 complaints filed in 2025. The report highlights common issues such as covenant enforcement and maintenance concerns, and includes data on complaint trends and county distribution.

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What changed

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) has published its 2026 Homeowners Association (HOA) Complaint Report, which compiles data from 452 complaints received during the 2025 calendar year. The report indicates a four percent increase in total complaints compared to the previous year, with a thirty percent rise in the number of concerns raised. Key issues identified include failure to adhere to covenants and bylaws, maintenance concerns, and ignored requests for information. The report also details complaint distribution by county and notes an increase in "Undetermined" closures due to disputed facts.

This report serves as an informational notice for consumers and HOAs regarding complaint trends and common issues within South Carolina. While the report itself does not impose new obligations, it highlights areas of frequent dispute that HOAs and management companies should be aware of to improve compliance with covenants and bylaws and enhance maintenance practices. The SCDCA is offering a free webinar to discuss the report's findings.

What to do next

Review the 2026 HOA Complaint Report for trends and common issues.
Attend the SCDCA webinar on February 11th to understand report details and department roles.
Ensure adherence to covenants, bylaws, and maintenance standards to mitigate potential complaints.

Source document (simplified)

Wed, 02/04/2026 COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) is releasing the 2026 Homeowners Association (HOA) Complaint Report. The Report is a compilation of data from complaints received January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025. Some of the highlights include:

The 2026 report contains information from 452 complaints filed against 339 HOAs/Management Companies during calendar year 2025. This was a four percent increase in the total number of complaints included in the HOA Report as compared to 2024.
The complaints raised 1,104 concerns with multiple included in a single complaint. This is an increase of thirty percent over 2024. The top three types of issues raised were: (1) Failure to adhere to and/or enforce covenants and bylaws (16.8%), (2) Concerns regarding maintenance and repairs (11.7%), (3) Request to access information/view documents ignored (9.5%).
Top 3 Counties for Complaints: (1) Horry (31%), (2) Richland (12%), (3) Greenville (9%).
Nineteen percent of complaints were closed “Undetermined” due to disputed facts. This is a four percent increase from the prior year. The Department closes complaints that are complex and/or contentious in nature under this category due to the agency’s statutory limitations.
The number of complaints closed as “Unsatisfied” due to an HOA’s failure to respond decreased in 2025 to (5.5%). This is down from 42 complaints (9.7%) to 25 in 2025. Changes to state law in 2018 require SCDCA to collect certain data from complaints involving homeowners associations and report it annually. The report is presented in a categorized, filterable and searchable format and can be viewed in its entirety by visiting this link. Additional highlights can be found here.

SCDCA will offer a free webinar “2026 HOA Complaint Report” on Wednesday, February 11 at 10:30 a.m. The webinar will go over the complaint report, the types of complaints received, complaint trends and the department’s role in collecting complaint data. Register here to watch/listen from any computer or smartphone.

SCDCA processes and mediates consumer complaints against businesses regulated by DCA, refers complaints that fall within another agency’s jurisdiction and mediates those complaints against businesses that are unregulated. To file a complaint, visit our website and click “How Do I…” then the “File a Complaint?” option.

About SCDCA

Established in 1974, DCA has more than fifty years of experience in protecting South Carolina consumers while recognizing those businesses that act honestly and fairly. Cultivating a marketplace comprised of well-informed consumers and businesses prevents deceptive and unfair business practices, allows legitimate business activity to flourish, resulting in the promotion of competition and a healthier economy.