Tennessee Landlord-Tenant Law 2026: The Plain-English Guide
Tennessee is unusual: it has two sets of rules. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) applies in counties with populations over 75,000 — everywhere else, older common-law rules apply. Most Tennessee rentals fall under URLTA, but you need to know which track you're on.
Security deposits
- No state cap on the amount.
- Return within 30 days of move-out, with a written itemized list of deductions.
- Separate account: deposits must be held in a separate account — no commingling. You must notify the tenant in writing of the bank name and address.
- Penalty: bad-faith withholding = the tenant can recover the deposit plus damages.
Use our Security Deposit Deadline Finder and deductions guide.
Rent rules
- No rent control — prohibited statewide.
- Late fees must be in the lease and reasonable.
- Raising rent: 30 days' notice for month-to-month tenancies. See how to raise rent legally.
Eviction in Tennessee
Under URLTA (most rentals):
1. 14-Day Notice for nonpayment — tenant can cure by paying within 14 days.
2. 30-Day Notice for lease violations (14 days to cure for first offenses).
3. Detainer warrant filed in General Sessions Court — cheap, fast, informal.
4. Hearing typically within 2–4 weeks.
Uncontested cases usually resolve in 4–6 weeks. In non-URLTA counties, common-law rules apply — similar in practice but with fewer statutory procedures. Self-help is illegal. Full process: how to evict a tenant.
Repairs and habitability
- Under URLTA, landlords must maintain the property fit and habitable and make repairs after written notice.
- Tenant remedies after proper notice and reasonable time: repair-and-deduct (up to $500 or half a month's rent, whichever is greater), terminate the lease, or recover damages.
- In non-URLTA areas, the common-law warranty is thinner — but local housing codes still apply.
Entry rights
- URLTA: 24 hours' notice required, reasonable times, reasonable purposes.
- Non-URLTA: no statute — put 24 hours in your lease.
The bottom line
Tennessee is landlord-manageable: no deposit caps, 14-day cure notices, fast general sessions courts. The main work is knowing whether URLTA applies in your county (it does for most rentals) and keeping deposits in a separate account with proper bank notice.
This is general information, not legal advice. Consult a Tennessee landlord-tenant attorney for specific situations.