Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Tennessee?
No. In Tennessee, in counties with more than 75,000 residents, where the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies, a landlord may not retaliate by raising the rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an eviction because a tenant complained to the landlord about a required repair or used a remedy under the Act. The Act applies only in counties with a population above 75,000 under the federal census, and it sets no period of presumed retaliation. Separately, the federal Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to threaten or interfere with anyone for exercising fair housing rights. This is Tenn. Code §§ 66-28-514, 66-28-102.
| What | Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Retaliation by a landlord | Prohibited by statute |
| Time period in the statute | Prohibited; no set period (URLTA counties) |
| How the period works | No period; the tenant proves retaliation |
Source
Tenn. Code §§ 66-28-514, 66-28-102
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 October 23, 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
When an owner prepares an eviction in Seayora, it lists any repair request opened on the unit in the last 180 days that is still open, not to stop the case but because the tenant will raise retaliation and the owner should have an answer. Every repair request keeps the date it was filed.
Guides on this rule
- Landlord Retaliation Laws: Protected Tenant Acts and Time Limits — When an eviction, rent increase or cut in services is presumed retaliatory: 180 days in California, six months in Texas, a year in New York.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
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