SOUTH CAROLINA OWNER AGE
What is the legal age for Ownership of a house and ownership of a car in South Carolina?
(Unsigned)
Dear Unsigned,
I don’t usually post inquiries that have straight forward answers but this question drew my attention to the difficulty of getting a very simple rule.
I could not find the answer in South Carolina Laws, nor did emancipation rules specifically answer your question. SCDMVonline.com yielded nothing. I called South Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. After a 10 minute wait, I was connected with a human being.
My understanding was that individuals can OWN a vehicle at any age. However a person under 18 can challenge their own ownership on the basis of being too young to enter a binding contract. In simple terms, a person under 18 could buy and own a vehicle. However, since a person under 18 can not enter a binding contract, the SALE to such minor could be deemed invalid.
Hypothetically, a 15 year old buys a $10,000 vehicle with a $100 down payment. The car is parked on private property and is destroyed by lightening. The 15 year old could claim he owes nothing on the vehicle because a minor can not enter a binding contract.
I found nothing to indicate any difference with respect to home ownership.
Uncle Jim is not lawyer. The above is just an uncle’s opinion. Please get legal advice before taking any action. If anyone can fine tune the above please forward any correction or opinion.
Everybody’s Uncle
