A Tennessee lease agreement is a legally binding document a landlord uses to define the rental terms for a dwelling. This agreement includes similar standards and provisions like the names and identifying details of the landlord and tenant, the property’s address, the lease term, pet allowances, risk disclosures, and security deposit details.
By Type (6)
Room Rental Agreement
A contract for renting a private room in a shared residence, outlining terms like rent, utilities, and personal space rights.
Commercial Lease Agreement
An agreement that permits a tenant to use a property exclusively for business activities under agreed terms.
Month-to-Month Rental Agreement
Allows tenants to live on a property on a monthly basis without a long-term commitment.
Sublease Agreement
Allows the subtenant to rent all or part of the leased property for a specified period.
Laws
Overview
Rent Control: No
Limit on Late Fees: Yes
Late Fees in Rental Agreement: No
Grace Period: Yes
License Required for Landlord: No
Required Lease Disclosures
- Identification. A landlord must disclose in writing to the tenant the contact details (name and address) of the property owner or agent authorized to act on behalf of the owner (TN Code § 66-28-302).
- Showings. A landlord must disclose their right to show a prospective tenant a property within 30 days of the end of the current lease term, and they must list the right of access within the lease agreement (TN Code § 66-28-403).
- Disclosure of Lead-Based Hazards. Landlords must inform tenants of the potential risks of living in a property built before 1978 due to the potential presence of lead-based paint (42 U.S. Code § 4852d).
- Notice of Abandoned Personal Property. Landlords should attempt to notify all tenants of the presumed abandonment of personal property before proceeding with disposing of it (TN Code § 66-28-405).
- Security Deposit Notice. The landlord must provide an itemized list of damages to the tenant (TN Code § 66-28-301).
Security Deposit
A landlord can charge any amount they’d like for a security deposit, as Tennessee doesn’t have a statute establishing a maximum amount. There’s also no statute requiring a landlord to pay interest to a tenant for their security deposit.
If a landlord collects a security deposit, they must keep it in a separate account. Tennessee law also dictates that a landlord must return a tenant’s security deposit within 30 days of the end of the tenancy if there’s no unpaid rent or damages to account for (TN Code § 66-28-301).
Landlord Access
While there are no laws relating to general access, Tennessee law states that the landlord may enter the property without the tenant’s consent in cases of emergency (TN Code § 66-28-403).
Abandonment
A landlord can assume that the tenant has abandoned the property if there’s an unexplained or extended absence from the property for 30 or more days without rent payment.
They can also make this assumption if the tenant fails to pay rent 15 days past the due date and reasonable circumstances indicate that the tenant has abandoned the property (TN Code § 66-28-405).
Small Claims Court
The small claims court limit in Tennessee is $25,000, so a tenant can sue a landlord for an unreturned security deposit up to this amount (TN Code § 16-15-501).
Sample
Below, you can view our Tennessee lease agreement template to get an idea of what to include in yours. Download it as a PDF or Word file to get started:
