US landlord tenant law

Tennessee landlord tenant law: the rules a landlord meets

What Tennessee statutes require of a landlord, rule by rule: the security deposit, rent and late fees, rent increases, entering the property, ending a tenancy and the disclosures a lease carries, each with the section it comes from.

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Security deposit cap: No cap in statute; No statute sets this
Deposit back within: No statute sets this; Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301(f)
Notice before entry: No statute sets this; No statute sets this
Month-to-month notice: 30 days; Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512(b)

In the order you meet them

Tennessee landlord tenant laws, rule by rule

From the deposit you take at signing to the notice that ends the tenancy. Every figure names its statute; where none sets it, the page says so.

Tennessee security deposit law

Most you can take: No cap in statuteNo statute sets this
Back to the tenant within: No statute sets thisTenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301(f)No fixed deadline: the landlord must send notice of any refund due to the tenant's last known address, and may keep the deposit if the tenant does not respond within 60 days of that notice.

Rent and late fees

Late fee: 10% of the monthly rentTenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d)10% of the amount of rent past due; if the fifth day falls on a Sunday or legal holiday, no fee if paid the next business day.
Grace period before a fee: 5 daysTenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d)

Tennessee rent increase laws and rent control

Notice before a rent increase: No statutory period confirmedTenn. Code Ann. § 66-35-102No statute sets notice for a rent increase that we found. A local government may not enact or enforce any ordinance that would control the amount of rent charged for private residential property, read via FindLaw's copy current as of 2 January 2024.
Rent control: Local rent control bannedTenn. Code Ann. § 66-35-102

Entering the property: notice to the tenant

Notice before you enter: No statute sets thisNo statute sets this

Ending a tenancy and eviction notices

Ending a month-to-month tenancy: 30 daysTenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512(b)Written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date specified in the notice.
Unpaid rent: 14 daysTenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505(a)(2), (b); § 66-28-102(a); § 66-7-109(a)“14-day notice to pay rent or vacate”Paying in full within the period stops itIn counties above 75,000 people (2010 census) the landlord-tenant act applies and the tenant ends the notice by paying within 14 days after receiving it, though a lease term in 12-point bold may waive the notice altogether (§ 66-28-505(b)). Elsewhere § 66-7-109(a)(1)(A) also sets 14 days' notice after demand, with a cure. Read via FindLaw's copy of the code, current as of 2 January 2024; the 2025 bill to cut this to 7 days (HB 1345 / SB 1088) failed in subcommittee.
Another breach of the lease: 14 daysTenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-505(a)(1) to (3); § 66-7-109(a), (b)“14-day notice of termination”The breach cannot be fixed to stop itIn landlord-tenant act counties a breach that payment cannot remedy ends the lease on a date at least 14 days after the tenant receives notice, with no cure; a breach payment can remedy gets 14 days to cure, and a repeat within six months allows 7 days' notice. Outside those counties tenant damage gets 14 days with a cure, a violent or dangerous act 14 days, and any other default 30 days (§ 66-7-109). Read via FindLaw's copy, current as of 2 January 2024.
Lockouts and shutoffs: Banned: lockouts and utility shutoffsTenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-504

The Tennessee eviction process, step by step

Disclosures a Tennessee lease has to carry

Advise the tenant in writing that the landlord is not responsible for, and will not provide, fire or casualty insurance for the tenant's personal property. (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201)
When the lease is signed and the deposit paid, tell the tenant the location of the separate account where security deposits are held (the account number need not be given). (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301(a))

Put the Tennessee rules on paper

Free documents with these figures already in them, one for each moment of the tenancy.

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Dardaris keeps each of these rules for you

It counts the deposit deadline from the day a tenant moves out, drafts the notice before you enter a home, and dates a rent increase so the notice lands in time. Nothing goes out until you approve it.

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Deposit back to the tenant: No statute sets this
Notice before the inspection: No statute sets this
Rent increase notice: No statutory period confirmed

Where these Tennessee rules come from

Deposit, entry, fee, notice and disclosure rules read against the official texts on 29 September 2026. Rent increase and eviction rules read on 1 November 2026.

Questions landlords ask

What is the security deposit limit in Tennessee?

Deposit cap in Tennessee: No cap in statute. Back to the tenant within: No statute sets this (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301(f)). The conditions are in the security deposit section above.

How much Tennessee rent increase notice does a landlord give?

Notice before a rent increase in Tennessee: No statutory period confirmed (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-35-102). Rent control: Local rent control banned. The rent increase section above quotes what the statutes say, exceptions included.

How much notice does a Tennessee landlord give before entering?

No Tennessee statute sets a notice period for entry. Put one in the lease so both sides know it.

How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Tennessee?

Notice from the landlord to end a month-to-month tenancy in Tennessee: 30 days (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512(b)).

Can a Tennessee landlord change the locks or shut off utilities?

No. Tennessee bans lockouts and utility shutoffs as a way to remove a tenant (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-504). Only a court order ends the tenant’s possession.

Does this page cover repairs and mold?

No figures for repairs or mold are on this page. Both fall under the landlord’s duty to keep a home fit to live in and under the state’s own rules; read the Tennessee statutes and your local housing code before you act.

State of Tennessee landlord tenant laws: what does a landlord have to know?

Four figures first. Deposit cap: No cap in statute. Deposit back within: No statute sets this (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301(f)). Notice before entry: No statute sets this. Month-to-month notice: 30 days (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512(b)). The eviction notices are in the section on ending a tenancy.

Landlord tenant law in other states

All 50 states compared

This is not legal adviceThis page summarises statutes as read on 29 September 2026. Laws change, cities add their own rules, and a court reads a statute against the facts of a case. Check the official text, or ask a lawyer, before you act on it.

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