South Carolina § 39-20-20 - Definitions.

§ 39-20-20. Definitions.

For purposes of this chapter:

(a) "Last known address" means the physical, mailing, or electronic mail address provided by the occupant either in the latest rental agreement or in a subsequent written notice of a change of address as the address the occupant selects for the owner to use for making contact or providing notice to the occupant under the provisions of this chapter.

(b) "Occupant" means a person, his sublessee, successor, or assign entitled to the use of the storage space at a self-service storage facility under a rental agreement, to the exclusion of others.

(c) "Owner" means the owner, operator, lessor, or sublessor of a self-service storage facility, his agent, or any other person authorized by him to manage the facility or to receive rent from an occupant under a rental agreement.

(d) "Personal property" means movable property not affixed to land and includes, but is not limited to, goods, merchandise, and household items.

(e) "Rental agreement" means any written agreement or lease that establishes or modifies the terms, conditions, rules, or any other provisions concerning the use and occupancy of a self-service storage facility.

(f) "Self-service storage facility" means any real property designed and used for the purpose of renting or leasing individual storage space to occupants who are to have access to the space for the purpose of storing and removing personal property. No occupant may use a self-service storage facility for residential purposes. A self-service storage facility is not a warehouse within the meaning of Chapter 19, Title 39 and the provisions of law relative to bonded public warehousemen do not apply to the owner of a self-service storage facility. A self-service storage facility is not a safe-deposit box or vault maintained by banks, trust companies, or other financial entities.

(g) "Electronic mail" means an electronic message or an executable program or computer file that contains an image of a message that is transmitted between two or more computers or electronic terminals and includes electronic messages that are transmitted within or between computer networks from which a confirmation of receipt is received.

HISTORY: 1986 Act No. 460, SECTION 1, eff 30 days after approval by the Governor (Approved June 2, 1986); 2014 Act No. 136 (H.3563), SECTION 1, eff March 13, 2014.

Effect of Amendment

2014 Act No. 136, SECTION 1, rewrote subsection (a), added subsection (g), and made other nonsubstantive changes.