Sun City SC Rentals: How Leasing Works

Sun City Hilton Head Vacation Rentals: Why There Are None

The community rules bar short stays three ways. Every lease must run at least 90 days, no transient tenants are allowed, and the rules name Airbnb and Vrbo, along with timeshares and fractional ownership, as programs owners may not run. A vacation listing that places you inside the gates for a week or two is breaking those rules.

For a holiday near here, stay on the island: our Hilton Head vacation rentals guide covers the gated communities and beach areas that do rent by the week, and Bluffton is a short drive from the gates. The rest of the community is in our Sun City Hilton Head guide.

Sun City SC Rentals by the Season or the Year

A lease of three months or more is ordinary here. Tenants rent houses and villas for a season, a year or longer, and a lease that already ran 90 days can be extended by a shorter term. Long-term rentals are listed on the big home-search sites under Sun City Hilton Head; we link to one above. The lease is with the owner, directly or through the owner’s agent.

Who Can Rent: The 55-and-Over Rule

Tenants live under the same age rule as owners. At least one person in the home must be 55 or over, no one under 19 may live there, and no more than two people per bedroom may stay more than 30 days in six months. Grandchildren can visit as guests for up to 90 days a year.

Signing a Lease and Registering

The lease must be in writing and cover the whole home. The owner tells the association within 10 days of signing and gives the tenant the community’s governing documents and rules. The tenant then registers with Resident Services at Palmetto Commons, bringing the signed lease and a driver’s license, and pays the renter registration fee: $500 per person for a lease of up to a year in 2026, paid again at each renewal, with no refund if the lease ends early.

Registration brings the tenant the owner’s activity cards, which open the fitness centers, pools and other amenities, plus a vehicle decal and gate tag. The owner hands in their own cards for the length of the lease. Renters use the amenities like residents, but they are not members of the association and cannot vote.

Renting While Your New Home Is Built

Buyers are the one exception to the 90-day rule. Del Webb can lease a home it owns for as little as 30 days to a buyer waiting for a new Sun City home, and a buyer under contract can buy activity cards before closing for $250 a month per household. Ask the builder’s sales office, and see our Sun City Hilton Head homes for sale page for resales.

For Owners: Leasing Out a Sun City Home

An owner can lease, but only the whole home and only for 90 days or more. Renting a room while living there is not allowed, and a tenant cannot sublet or assign the lease without the board’s written approval. The owner stays responsible for the account: if the owner falls behind, the tenant’s cards and gate tag are suspended, and any fines or charges the tenant leaves unpaid go on the owner’s bill.

So a Sun City home is a long-term rental, never a short-term one, and the numbers should be run that way. The assessment the owner keeps paying is on our Sun City Hilton Head HOA fees page.