How long does a homeowner have to cancel a home improvement contract in Tennessee?

In Tennessee, a buyer in a home solicitation sale of goods or services agreed to at a residence (other than a cash sale under $25) may cancel by giving written notice of cancellation to the seller at the address in the agreement until midnight of the third business day after signing. The seller must give the buyer a receipt or written agreement carrying a statement captioned "BUYER’S RIGHT TO CANCEL" that says the buyer may cancel by mailing a notice to the seller before midnight of the third business day after signing, or may use the federal door-to-door notice form instead, and until the seller complies the buyer may cancel by any means. Within ten days after the sale is canceled, the seller must return any payments made by the buyer and any note or other evidence of debt. A seller who performed services before cancellation is entitled to compensation only for the fair market value of those services. The buyer may not cancel after asking the seller to provide goods or services without delay because of an emergency if the request is in a dated writing personally signed by the buyer that expressly says the buyer is waiving the right to cancel, the seller in good faith made a substantial beginning of performance before notice of cancellation, and any goods cannot be returned in substantially as good condition; any other waiver of the right to cancel is void. The federal cooling-off rule separately gives three business days to cancel many sales made at the buyer’s home. This is Tenn. Code §§ 47-18-702, 47-18-703, 47-18-704, 47-18-705, 47-18-706.

WhatTennessee
Right to cancel3 business days after signing

What the statute says

“… the buyer has the right to cancel a home solicitation sale until twelve o’clock midnight (12:00) of the third business day after the day on which the buyer signs an agreement or offer to purchase which complies with § 47-18-704 …”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

Tenn. Code §§ 47-18-702, 47-18-703, 47-18-704, 47-18-705, 47-18-706

Read the statute in the Tennessee Code (Tennessee General Assembly): capitol.tn.gov.

The linked sections open Justia’s free copy of the code, because the state’s own site has no stable address for each section.

Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

An estimate on Seayora carries its own terms and contract text, and the customer’s approval is recorded with its date, so the day a cancellation period starts is on file for both the contractor and the homeowner.

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