Tennessee Landlord Selling the House
Tennessee rules on landlord selling the house for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: When a landlord sells a rental in good faith to an unrelated buyer, the seller stays responsible under the lease and the landlord-tenant law until the tenant gets written notice of the sale and the security deposit is transferred to the buyer. Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-305
The rules in Tennessee
| If the landlord sells the property | When a landlord sells a rental in good faith to an unrelated buyer, the seller stays responsible under the lease and the landlord-tenant law until the tenant gets written notice of the sale and the security deposit is transferred to the buyer. After both happen, the seller is released for later events, unless the parties agreed otherwise. The statute does not say the sale ends the lease. Read on codes.findlaw.com (a public copy of the official code); check against the official code. The page says it is current as of January 2, 2024. Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in counties with a population over 75,000 (2010 census) (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-102(a)); in other counties these sections do not apply. Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-305 |
|---|
Related questions
Tennessee vs. neighboring states
| State | If the landlord sells the property | Tenants in foreclosure |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | When a landlord sells a rental in good faith to an unrelated buyer, the seller stays responsible under the lease and the landlord-tenant law until the tenant gets written notice of the sale and the security deposit is transferred to the buyer. After both happen, the seller is released for later events, unless the parties agreed otherwise. The statute does not say the sale ends the lease. Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-305 | Not verified yet |
| Alabama | When a landlord sells a rental in a good-faith sale, the seller is relieved of liability under the lease and the landlord-tenant act for events that happen after the tenant gets written notice of the sale, unless the parties agreed otherwise. The seller stays liable to the tenant for the security deposit the tenant could recover and for all prepaid rent. Separately, whoever holds the landlord's interest when the tenancy ends is bound by the deposit-return rules. Ala. Code §§ 35-9A-205(a), 35-9A-201(h) | No statute protecting tenants in foreclosure was found in the landlord-tenant Act. The disclosure duty in § 35-9A-202 binds any successor landlord or owner. Tenants rely on the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (90-day notice). Ala. Code Title 35, Ch. 9A (checked); § 35-9A-202(b) |
| Arkansas | Arkansas's security-deposit law binds whoever holds the landlord's interest when the tenancy ends: a transferee, assignee or other successor landlord is bound by the security-deposit subchapter. The statutes reviewed do not set a notice the seller or buyer must give the tenant about the sale. Ark. Code Ann. § 18-16-302 | No state statute found protecting tenants when a rental is foreclosed or sold. Tenants rely on the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (90-day notice). Ark. Code Ann. Title 18, Ch. 17 (checked) |
| Georgia | According to Georgia's official Landlord-Tenant Handbook, when a rental property is sold the former owner must either transfer the security deposit to the new owner, who then becomes responsible for it, or refund the deposit to the tenant. If the old owner does neither, the tenant can sue to recover the deposit. The handbook also says new owners of an apartment complex are generally bound by existing leases and cannot raise rents or change rules during them. Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (Dept. of Community Affairs, rev. 8-29-24), pp. 13-14 | Not verified yet |
| Kentucky | When a landlord sells or transfers the property, the tenant does not have to 'attorn' (formally accept the new owner) for the transfer to be valid, and a tenant who pays rent to the old owner before getting notice of the sale is not penalized for it (KRS 383.100(2)). In areas that have adopted Kentucky's landlord-tenant act, the landlord must give the tenant in writing the name and address of the manager and of the owner or owner's agent for notices, must keep that information current, and the duty extends to any successor landlord or owner (KRS 383.585). Kentucky's security-deposit statute (KRS 383.580) does not say who must hold or return the deposit after a sale. KRS 383.100(2); KRS 383.585; KRS 383.580 | Not verified yet |
| Mississippi | Mississippi's security deposit law says the deposit is held by the landlord for the tenant and the balance must be returned within 45 days after the tenancy ends; it makes the 'landlord or his transferee' liable for damages for keeping a deposit in violation of the section. The section does not spell out how a deposit must be handed over when the property is sold or what notice the tenant gets. Miss. Code Ann. §89-8-21(2)-(4) | Not verified yet |
| Missouri | Not verified yet | After a foreclosure sale, the new owner must give the residential tenant written notice (certified/registered mail, plus posting on the door) that the sale happened, who the new owner is, and that the tenant has at least 10 business days to leave. No eviction case can be filed within those 10 business days. The notice does not create a tenancy with the new owner. Federal PTFA rights are separate. RSMo 534.030.2-.3 |
| North Carolina | When the landlord's interest ends by sale (or assignment, death, receivership, or otherwise), the landlord or agent must, within 30 days, either transfer the remaining security deposit to the successor and then notify the tenant by mail of the transfer and the new holder's name and address, or return the remaining deposit to the tenant. Either step relieves the former landlord of further liability for the deposit. A buyer of the property (grantee of the reversion) has the same remedies against the tenants under the lease as the seller had, and tenants have the same remedies against the buyer. N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-54, 42-8 | For residential property with fewer than 15 rental units, the foreclosure notice of sale must be mailed to each tenant (by name, or to 'occupant') at least 20 days before the sale. It must tell tenants they may end their lease by written notice effective 10 to 90 days after the sale date, if the default is not cured. A tenant who ends the lease this way owes only prorated rent. After the sale, the purchaser can get a clerk's order for possession only after 10 days' notice to those in possession, or 30 days for properties with 15 or more rental units. When the landlord's interest ends, the deposit must be transferred to the successor (with notice to the tenant) or returned within 30 days. N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 45-21.17(4), 45-21.16A(b), 42-45.2, 45-21.29(k)(5), 42-54 |
| Virginia | When rental property is sold, the current owner must transfer all security deposits, plus any accrued interest, to the new owner at the time of transfer. If a managing agent holds the deposits, the owner must ask for them in writing before settlement, and the agent must transfer them and give each tenant written notice that the deposit went to the new owner. The landlord must also notify the tenant of the sale and give the buyer's name, address and phone number; these duties are enforceable against any successor landlord. Va. Code §§ 55.1-1213, 55.1-1216(B), (D) | Single-family rental: the landlord must tell the tenant or prospective tenant in writing within 5 business days after receiving a lender's notice of mortgage default, acceleration or foreclosure sale; if not, the tenant may terminate on 5 business days' written notice. After a foreclosure sale, a buyer who will occupy the unit as a primary residence must give at least 90 days' written notice to vacate; any other buyer takes subject to the lease and the tenant may stay for the remaining term (subject to termination for cause or under the lease), with written notice to the tenant. Rent goes to the successor owner as directed in writing, to the managing agent, or into court escrow; the tenant is not delinquent or charged late fees until the successor names where to pay. On any sale, the landlord must disclose the purchaser's name, address and phone number. Va. Code Sec. 55.1-1237; 55.1-1216(B) |
City rules that may add to state law
More Tennessee rental law
- Tennessee Security Deposit Law
- Tennessee Eviction Laws
- Tennessee Notice to Vacate Rules
- Landlord Entry Rules in Tennessee
- Tennessee Repairs & Tenant Remedies
- Tennessee Rent Increase & Late Fee Laws
- Breaking a Lease in Tennessee
- Squatters' Rights in Tennessee
- Tennessee Rental Fee Rules
- Tennessee Section 8, Records & Right to Counsel
- Tennessee Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
- Tennessee Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
- Tennessee Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation
- Tennessee Subletting, Lease Endings & Tenant Death
- All Tennessee landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in Tennessee
Compare landlord selling the house in all 50 states and DC →
Tennessee Landlord Selling the House FAQ
What happens to my lease if my landlord sells the house in Tennessee?
When a landlord sells a rental in good faith to an unrelated buyer, the seller stays responsible under the lease and the landlord-tenant law until the tenant gets written notice of the sale and the security deposit is transferred to the buyer. After both happen, the seller is released for later events, unless the parties agreed otherwise. The statute does not say the sale ends the lease. (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-305)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.