Tennessee landlord and tenant rules

Seayora publishes 8 Tennessee rules, covering notice periods, late fees, rent regulation, tenant protections, contractor sales tax. Every one is composed from the statute it cites and links to that statute on the state’s own code site.

Tennessee at a glance

RuleTennessee
How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in Tennessee?14 days to pay
How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Tennessee?30 days
How much can a landlord charge for a late rent fee in Tennessee?10% of the rent past due
Is there a grace period for paying rent in Tennessee?5 days
Is there rent control in Tennessee?Prohibited by state law
Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Tennessee?Prohibited; no set period (URLTA counties)
Do contractors charge sales tax in Tennessee?Consumer of materials
Is appliance repair taxable in Tennessee?Taxable, with the parts

Notice periods in Tennessee

How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in Tennessee?

In Tennessee, before starting a nonpayment case a landlord must serve a written notice giving the tenant 14 days to pay the rent due. This is Tenn. Code §§ 66-28-512, 66-28-505, 66-28-201.

Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies ONLY in counties with a population over 75,000; elsewhere the lease and the common law govern and none of these periods apply. Rent is not late until the five-day grace period in § 66-28-201 has run, and the 14-day notice follows that. There is no general entry-notice period — § 66-28-403 requires 24 hours only for showings in the final 30 days of the tenancy — and no statute on rent-increase notice.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Tennessee?

In Tennessee, a landlord must give 30 days written notice to end a tenancy or decline to renew it. This is Tenn. Code §§ 66-28-512, 66-28-505, 66-28-201.

Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies ONLY in counties with a population over 75,000; elsewhere the lease and the common law govern and none of these periods apply. Rent is not late until the five-day grace period in § 66-28-201 has run, and the 14-day notice follows that. There is no general entry-notice period — § 66-28-403 requires 24 hours only for showings in the final 30 days of the tenancy — and no statute on rent-increase notice.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Late fees in Tennessee

How much can a landlord charge for a late rent fee in Tennessee?

In Tennessee, a late fee may not exceed 10% of the rent past due. There is a five-day grace period, counting the due date, before a late fee may be charged — extended to the next business day when the fifth day is a Sunday or a legal holiday. This part of Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in counties with a population over 75,000. This is Tenn. Code § 66-28-201(d).

This part of Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in counties with a population over 75,000.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Is there a grace period for paying rent in Tennessee?

Yes. In Tennessee, there is a five-day grace period, counting the due date, before a late fee may be charged — extended to the next business day when the fifth day is a Sunday or a legal holiday. The late fee itself is limited too: a late fee may not exceed 10% of the rent past due. This part of Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in counties with a population over 75,000. This is Tenn. Code § 66-28-201(d).

This part of Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in counties with a population over 75,000.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Rent regulation in Tennessee

Is there rent control in Tennessee?

No. Tennessee has no statewide rent control, and its cities and counties cannot simply adopt their own: a local government may not enact, maintain or enforce an ordinance or resolution that would have the effect of controlling the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential or commercial property. This is Tenn. Code § 66-35-102.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Tenant protections in Tennessee

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.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Contractor sales tax in Tennessee

Do contractors charge sales tax in Tennessee?

In Tennessee a contractor is treated as the CONSUMER of the materials they build into real property. That means the contractor pays sales tax when they buy the materials, and does not add sales tax to the customer's invoice for that work — the tax is already inside the price. Tennessee also has county, city or special-district rates on top of the state rate, so the rate depends on where the job site is, not where the contractor is based. Source: Tenn. Code §67-6-102; Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1320-05-01-.27 (contractors are the consumers of materials used in realty improvement; installation and repair of tangible personal property is taxable).

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Is appliance repair taxable in Tennessee?

Yes. Tennessee taxes the LABOR on repairs to tangible personal property — an appliance, a boiler or a unit that never becomes part of the building — as well as the parts. This is a different question from work on the real property itself: the same technician on the same visit can be doing taxable work on an appliance and differently treated work on the structure, and the invoice has to tell them apart. Source: Tenn. Code §67-6-102; Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1320-05-01-.27 (contractors are the consumers of materials used in realty improvement; installation and repair of tangible personal property is taxable).

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Sources

  • Tenn. Code § 66-28-201(d)
  • Tenn. Code § 66-35-102
  • Tenn. Code §67-6-102; Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1320-05-01-.27 (contractors are the consumers of materials used in realty improvement; installation and repair of tangible personal property is taxable).
  • Tenn. Code §§ 66-28-512, 66-28-505, 66-28-201
  • Tenn. Code §§ 66-28-514, 66-28-102

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.

This is a summary of a state’s published guidance, not tax or legal advice. Rates and rules change, local jurisdictions add their own, and the treatment of a specific job depends on the contract and the work. Check the citation and speak to a CPA or a state tax adviser before relying on it.

How Seayora uses these rules

Notice periods. Seayora computes the notice this rule requires from the tenancy’s own dates — for a renewal offer, a rent increase or a served notice — and will not serve one that is short unless the owner records a reason. The answer above is the rule the product enforces.

Late fees. Seayora charges only the late fee written into the lease, after the grace period the lease sets, and adds no late fee of its own. This page states the statutory ceiling and waiting period so the terms of a lease can be checked against them before it is signed.

Rent regulation. This page states whether the state lets its cities control rent, and any statewide limit on an increase, so a renewal can be checked before it is offered. In New York City, Seayora’s rent-increase advisor goes further: it computes the highest increase the Rent Guidelines Board order and the Good Cause standard allow for each apartment, with the law cited, and gives no number where the law is not verified.

Tenant protections. 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.

Contractor sales tax. Seayora resolves this rule on every invoice a contractor raises — per line, from the job site’s own address — and prints the rate, the jurisdiction and this citation on the document itself, so the estimate a customer accepts is the invoice they are billed. Where the rule is more nuanced than a single answer, Seayora refuses to guess a total rather than quoting a confident wrong one.

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