Know your rights as a renter in Tennessee. This guide covers security deposits, landlord entry, rent increases, eviction protections, and more under Tennessee law.
Legal basis: Tennessee landlord-tenant law — Tennessee Code
Entry notice and deposit escrow apply only in the 17 counties Tennessee's landlord-tenant act covers (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-102(a)) — see the counties.
Most of the renter protections on this page — how a deposit must be handled, the 10% cap on late fees and the 5-day grace period, repair rights, and protection from retaliation and lockouts — come from Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. State law makes that act the law only in counties that had more than 75,000 people in the 2010 federal census (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-102(a)). In 2021 the legislature removed the words “or any subsequent federal census”, so this list is fixed — a county cannot join it by growing.
The 17 covered counties
Shelby
Davidson
Knox
Hamilton
Rutherford
Williamson
Montgomery
Sumner
Sullivan
Blount
Washington
Wilson
Bradley
Madison
Sevier
Maury
Anderson
That covers Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, Clarksville, Franklin, Johnson City, Jackson and the Tri-Cities — but not Cookeville, Greeneville, Springfield or Crossville.
In the other 78 counties
If your county is not listed, these rules are not law where you live. Tennessee sets no statutory cap on late fees, no grace period, no deposit-handling rules and no entry rules there — your lease decides all of it, so read it closely and negotiate before you sign. Protections that still apply everywhere in Tennessee: the written notice a landlord must give before filing an eviction case (Tenn. Code § 66-7-109 — 14 days for unpaid rent, 30 days for most other breaches), the Tennessee Human Rights Act, fair housing law, and the federal lead-paint disclosure.
Checked against the Tennessee Code and the Census Bureau's 2010 county populations in . Anderson County is the closest call, with 75,129 people in 2010 — 129 over the line.
Security Deposit Laws
What Tennessee law says about deposits
Maximum Deposit
No statewide limit
Return Deadline
No fixed statutory deadlineTenn. Code § 66-28-301, in counties covered by the landlord-tenant act: the landlord sends notice of any refund to the tenant's last known address and may keep it only if the tenant does not respond within 60 days
Interest on deposits not required
Separate escrow account required only where your city or county adopted the landlord-tenant act
Deposit & Fee Details
Penalties, interest & late-fee rules under Tennessee law
Security deposit protections
If your deposit is wrongfully or late returned
A landlord who did not keep the deposit in a separate account and give the damage list may not keep any of it; a tenant can sue over the damage items they disputed in writing (Tenn. Code § 66-28-301). The statute sets no double or triple penalty.
Interest on your deposit is not required
Late-fee rules
Grace period
Five-day grace period that counts the due date: rent due on the 1st can get a late fee starting the 6th, or later if the 5th is a Sunday or holiday and rent is paid the next business day.
Must be in the lease
Yes — a late fee is only enforceable if it is written into your lease
Governing statute: Tenn. Code § 66-28-201(d)
Landlord Entry Rights
Your privacy protections
Required Notice Period
Consent required
you may not unreasonably refuse entry; no set hours, except 24 hours to show the unit in the last 30 days of a lease that allows it (Tenn. Code § 66-28-403, in counties covered by the landlord-tenant act)
No Tennessee statute sets a number of hours a landlord must give before entering — not anywhere in the state. In the 17 counties the landlord-tenant act covers (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-102(a) — see the counties), you may not unreasonably refuse entry for inspections, repairs or showings, and the landlord may not use entry to harass you. Everywhere else your lease's entry terms decide it. Emergencies are an exception either way.
More Tennessee Tenant Protections
How much notice is required to raise rent in Tennessee?
No notice statute; no caps
•No Tennessee statute sets how much notice a landlord must give before raising rent
•In the larger counties covered by the landlord-tenant act, a month-to-month tenancy ends with written notice at least 30 days before the rent date (Tenn. Code § 66-28-512)
•No statewide cap, and local governments may not control rent (Tenn. Code § 66-35-102)
•A landlord may not raise rent to retaliate for a complaint (Tenn. Code § 66-28-514)
Legal basis: No Statute
How long does a landlord have to make repairs in Tennessee?
14 days' notice before suing
•These rules apply only in counties where Tennessee's landlord-tenant act applies: population over 75,000 in the 2010 census (Tenn. Code § 66-28-102)
•Landlord must make all repairs needed to keep the home fit and habitable, follow health and safety codes, and keep common areas clean and safe (Tenn. Code § 66-28-304)
•After 14 days' written notice, you can sue for damages or a court order and attorney's fees if the landlord does not comply (Tenn. Code § 66-28-501)
•If the landlord fails to supply essential services such as heat, water or electricity, after written notice you may buy them and deduct the reasonable cost from rent, recover reduced rental value, or move to substitute housing and owe no rent meanwhile (Tenn. Code § 66-28-502)
Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant in Tennessee?
Protected (larger counties)
•This rule applies only in counties where Tennessee's landlord-tenant act applies: population over 75,000 in the 2010 census (Tenn. Code § 66-28-102(a))
•There, a landlord may not raise rent, cut services or evict because you complained about conditions to the landlord or a code agency, or exercised a legal right (Tenn. Code § 66-28-514)
•An action taken within a year of your complaint is presumed retaliatory, and the landlord has to show a legitimate reason (Tenn. Code § 66-28-514)
•Elsewhere in Tennessee no statute bars retaliation, so keep every complaint in writing with dates
Legal basis: Tenn. Code § 66-28-514
Can a domestic violence survivor break a lease in Tennessee?
Release within 30 days, every county
•A victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking (you or a household member) may be released from the lease on a mutually agreed date within 30 days of a written request
•Include an order of protection issued after a hearing, or documentation of a criminal charge based on a police report, dated within 60 days
•You owe rent for the full month the tenancy ends, but no future rent or early termination fee
•This applies in every county: the 2021 law put it in both Tennessee landlord-tenant laws, so the act's county test (Tenn. Code § 66-28-102(a), over 75,000 in the 2010 census) does not matter here
Legal basis: Tenn. Code § 66-7-112
Can a landlord lock you out or shut off utilities in Tennessee?
Self-help illegal (larger counties)
•This rule applies only in counties where Tennessee's landlord-tenant act applies: population over 75,000 in the 2010 census (Tenn. Code § 66-28-102(a))
•There, a landlord may not lock you out, remove your belongings or cut off utilities to force you out, and you can recover possession and damages (Tenn. Code § 66-28-504)
•Everywhere in Tennessee a landlord who wants you out must give the written notice Tenn. Code § 66-7-109 requires and then file a detainer warrant in General Sessions Court
•If you are locked out, contact legal aid right away
Legal basis: Tenn. Code § 66-28-504
Did You Know?
Important facts about Tennessee rental law
1
Tennessee has no statewide limit on security deposits.
2
Tennessee's landlord-tenant act only applies in 17 of the state's 95 counties — the ones that had more than 75,000 people in the 2010 census, such as Shelby, Davidson, Knox and Hamilton (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-102(a)).
3
No Tennessee law sets a deadline in days for returning a security deposit (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301).
4
In the counties the act covers, Tennessee landlords must hold deposits in a separate account and offer a move-out inspection with a signed damage list (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301).
Tennessee does not have a statutory limit on security deposits.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Tennessee?
Tennessee sets no fixed statutory deadline to return a security deposit (Tenn. Code § 66-28-301, in counties covered by the landlord-tenant act: the landlord sends notice of any refund to the tenant's last known address and may keep it only if the tenant does not respond within 60 days).
How much notice must a landlord give before entering in Tennessee?
In Tennessee, landlords need your consent before entering your rental unit (you may not unreasonably refuse entry; no set hours, except 24 hours to show the unit in the last 30 days of a lease that allows it (Tenn. Code § 66-28-403, in counties covered by the landlord-tenant act)).
How much can a landlord charge for a late fee in Tennessee?
Late fees in Tennessee: 10% of the rent amount that is past due. State law provides a 5-day grace period before a late fee can apply.
How much notice is required to raise rent in Tennessee?
No notice statute; no caps. No Tennessee statute sets how much notice a landlord must give before raising rent. In the larger counties covered by the landlord-tenant act, a month-to-month tenancy ends with written notice at least 30 days before the rent date (Tenn. Code § 66-28-512). No statewide cap, and local governments may not control rent (Tenn. Code § 66-35-102). A landlord may not raise rent to retaliate for a complaint (Tenn. Code § 66-28-514). Source: No Statute.
How long does a landlord have to make repairs in Tennessee?
14 days' notice before suing. These rules apply only in counties where Tennessee's landlord-tenant act applies: population over 75,000 in the 2010 census (Tenn. Code § 66-28-102). Landlord must make all repairs needed to keep the home fit and habitable, follow health and safety codes, and keep common areas clean and safe (Tenn. Code § 66-28-304). After 14 days' written notice, you can sue for damages or a court order and attorney's fees if the landlord does not comply (Tenn. Code § 66-28-501). If the landlord fails to supply essential services such as heat, water or electricity, after written notice you may buy them and deduct the reasonable cost from rent, recover reduced rental value, or move to substitute housing and owe no rent meanwhile (Tenn. Code § 66-28-502). Source: Tenn. Code §§ 66-28-304, 66-28-501, 66-28-502.
Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant in Tennessee?
Protected (larger counties). This rule applies only in counties where Tennessee's landlord-tenant act applies: population over 75,000 in the 2010 census (Tenn. Code § 66-28-102(a)). There, a landlord may not raise rent, cut services or evict because you complained about conditions to the landlord or a code agency, or exercised a legal right (Tenn. Code § 66-28-514). An action taken within a year of your complaint is presumed retaliatory, and the landlord has to show a legitimate reason (Tenn. Code § 66-28-514). Elsewhere in Tennessee no statute bars retaliation, so keep every complaint in writing with dates. Source: Tenn. Code § 66-28-514.
Can a domestic violence survivor break a lease in Tennessee?
Release within 30 days, every county. A victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking (you or a household member) may be released from the lease on a mutually agreed date within 30 days of a written request. Include an order of protection issued after a hearing, or documentation of a criminal charge based on a police report, dated within 60 days. You owe rent for the full month the tenancy ends, but no future rent or early termination fee. This applies in every county: the 2021 law put it in both Tennessee landlord-tenant laws, so the act's county test (Tenn. Code § 66-28-102(a), over 75,000 in the 2010 census) does not matter here. Source: Tenn. Code § 66-7-112.
Can a landlord lock you out or shut off utilities in Tennessee?
Self-help illegal (larger counties). This rule applies only in counties where Tennessee's landlord-tenant act applies: population over 75,000 in the 2010 census (Tenn. Code § 66-28-102(a)). There, a landlord may not lock you out, remove your belongings or cut off utilities to force you out, and you can recover possession and damages (Tenn. Code § 66-28-504). Everywhere in Tennessee a landlord who wants you out must give the written notice Tenn. Code § 66-7-109 requires and then file a detainer warrant in General Sessions Court. If you are locked out, contact legal aid right away. Source: Tenn. Code § 66-28-504.
What are my rights as a tenant in Tennessee?
Tennessee tenants have rights including security deposit protections, notice requirements for landlord entry, habitability standards, and protections against retaliation. Use Honestkey to analyze your specific lease against Tennessee law.
More for Tennessee renters
Common tenant-rights questions
Plain-language answers that apply in Tennessee and beyond