Renting in Myrtle Beach? Here's What You Need to Know Before You Sign

Myrtle Beach Rental Market Overview

Five Myrtle Beach communities publish verified pricing directly on their own sites (or, for one, its property-management operator's own site), as of September 2026, split across two submarkets. In Carolina Forest, an inland suburb west of Highway 501: Artisan Carolina Forest runs $1,325-2,445/month for one- to three-bedroom apartments (verified via Harbor Group Management's own listing page), The Laurent at Carolina Forest runs $1,330-1,947/month for one- to three-bedroom apartments (studio pricing not published), and ABODE at Carolina Forest is a separate townhome and single-family product running $2,190-2,865/month for two to four bedrooms. In Market Common, a walkable mixed-use village built on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base (closed 1993, redeveloped and opened 2008): The Veranda at Market Common runs $1,450-1,925/month and Luxe at Market Common runs $1,500-2,025/month, both one- to three-bedroom apartments (plus studios at Luxe).

Common Lease Terms in Myrtle Beach

These are the lease terms most commonly seen at the Myrtle Beach communities researched for this guide.

• 12-month leases are standard across the communities researched; ABODE at Carolina Forest also advertises an 18-month term at a lower base rent than its 12-month pricing
• Some community brand names cover more than one product type -- confirm whether a listing is an apartment, townhome, or single-family home before comparing prices, since Carolina Forest communities in particular mix all three

Local Tenant Protections

South Carolina law provides the baseline for tenant rights, but Myrtle Beach may have additional local ordinances that affect your lease.

• No ordinance was found that adds residential tenant protections beyond the South Carolina baseline below for a standard 12-month lease
• Short-term/vacation rentals (stays under 90 days) are regulated separately through city zoning and business licensing -- confined mostly to RMV and commercial zones, not standard "R" residential zones -- a framework aimed at vacation-rental operators, not standard-lease tenants
• No local rent control; South Carolina law preempts it statewide

For full South Carolina statewide tenant rights, see our South Carolina tenant rights guide.

Mandatory Fees at Myrtle Beach Communities

What follows is what each community's own website discloses (or doesn't), verified September 2026.

• Luxe at Market Common discloses the most: a non-refundable $350 pet fee plus $20/month pet rent per pet, capped at two pets. No application, admin, or deposit amounts are published.
• The Veranda at Market Common states that "additional non-optional monthly fees are not included in the base rent" and will be billed separately, without publishing amounts -- treat as "acknowledges fees exist, amounts not disclosed."
• Artisan Carolina Forest references a "Fees & Charges Guide" without itemizing it on the page researched.
• ABODE at Carolina Forest states its "Total Monthly Price includes base rent, all monthly mandatory and any user-selected optional fees" and that the security deposit "may change based on screening results," but does not publish specific amounts.
• The Laurent at Carolina Forest's floor-plan page mentions no fees at all -- its silence doesn't mean none apply, only that none were found on the page researched.

Only one of the five communities researched publishes a specific fee amount. At the other four, a published base-rent figure with no itemized fee schedule doesn't mean no fees apply -- confirm the full total monthly cost in writing before signing.

Myrtle Beach's Two Rental Markets: Standard Leases vs. Short-Term Rentals

Myrtle Beach's city code defines a short-term rental as any unit rented for under 90 continuous days and treats it as a commercial use. Traditional residential zones beginning with "R" generally prohibit short-term rentals; they're concentrated instead in RMV (Residential Multi-Family Visitor) and commercial zones, with fewer than 30 houses citywide grandfathered as exceptions. Anyone renting out a unit short-term -- even a single property -- must hold a city business license.

A 2024 zoning overlay (ordinance 2024-069) goes further: in a 114-block corridor east of Kings Highway to the ocean, buildings with more than two units that were built for or used as short-term rentals or hotels are barred from converting to long-term rental use, a measure the city says is meant to protect lodging-tax revenue. In practice, that keeps most of the oceanfront corridor's housing stock in short-term/vacation rentals, while the standard 12-month-lease apartment supply this guide covers concentrates inland, in submarkets like Carolina Forest and Market Common.

A nightly or weekly booking through a vacation-rental platform is a legally different arrangement from a standard residential lease -- it isn't covered by South Carolina's landlord-tenant law. Confirm which kind of agreement is actually being offered before treating any Myrtle Beach listing as a standard lease.

Common Issues Renters Face in Myrtle Beach

These are the most frequent lease-related considerations reported by renters and researched at Myrtle Beach communities:

• Standard-lease apartment supply is concentrated inland in Carolina Forest and Market Common, not near the oceanfront, where zoning favors short-term/vacation rentals
• A listing marketed toward vacationers may not carry the same landlord-tenant protections as a standard 12-month lease -- confirm which kind of agreement is being offered
• Most fee schedules found during this research acknowledge fees exist without publishing amounts, so a low headline rent doesn't necessarily mean a low total monthly cost

Negotiating Your Lease in Myrtle Beach

South Carolina is landlord-favorable with minimal statutory protections. As of September 2026, some communities researched for this guide were advertising move-in concessions such as free-rent periods or gift cards -- promotions that change often and shouldn't be assumed to still be available.

• Confirm whether a community's current pricing includes a temporary promotion (free weeks of rent, a gift card, waived fees) before comparing it to a competitor's standing rate
• Request the full itemized fee schedule in writing at communities that only reference a fee guide without publishing amounts
• For a unit near the oceanfront corridor, confirm in writing that the agreement is a standard residential lease and not a short-term/vacation-rental booking

A published rent figure with no itemized fee schedule doesn't mean no fees apply. Confirm the true total monthly cost before signing.