Tennessee Repairs & Tenant Remedies
Tennessee rules on repairs & habitability for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: Limited to essential services, in URLTA counties. If the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply essential services (utilities such as gas, heat and electricity, and other duties materially affecting health and safety), the tenant must give written notice and may then choose… T.C.A. 66-28-502
The rules in Tennessee
| Repair and deduct | Limited to essential services, in URLTA counties. If the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply essential services (utilities such as gas, heat and electricity, and other duties materially affecting health and safety), the tenant must give written notice and may then choose ONE remedy: (A) obtain the services and deduct the actual, reasonable cost from rent; (B) recover damages for the reduced rental value while staying in the unit; or (C) obtain reasonable substitute housing, paying no rent during the noncompliance. Attorney's fees are recoverable. Official T.C.A. is published only via LexisNexis; text verified on a public mirror of the code (FindLaw, current as of Jan. 2, 2024; older than 2025). These rights arise only after written notice, and only if the condition was not caused by the tenant, the tenant's household or guests (66-28-502(c)). For other landlord noncompliance, the tenant may recover damages, an injunction and attorney's fees after 14 days' written notice (66-28-501(a)). There is no general repair-and-deduct for non-essential repairs, and no statute was identified for non-URLTA counties. Source: T.C.A. 66-28-502 |
|---|---|
| Withholding rent | No general rent-withholding statute. The only rent excusal: in URLTA counties, a tenant who gets reasonable substitute housing because the landlord deliberately or negligently failed to supply essential services owes no rent during the noncompliance (after written notice). Official T.C.A. is published only via LexisNexis; text verified on a public mirror of the code (FindLaw, current as of Jan. 2, 2024; older than 2025). URLTA counties only. Withholding rent outside this remedy risks a 14-day nonpayment notice and eviction. Source: T.C.A. 66-28-502(a)(1)(C) |
| Landlord retaliation | URLTA counties: a landlord may not retaliate by raising rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an eviction because the tenant complained to the landlord of a violation under 66-28-301 or used remedies under the URLTA. Exceptions: the landlord may still seek possession if the tenant's household caused the code violation, the tenant is behind on rent, or code compliance requires work that would effectively deprive the tenant of the unit. The statute sets no time-based presumption of retaliation. Official T.C.A. is published only via LexisNexis; text verified on a public mirror of the code (FindLaw, current as of Jan. 2, 2024; older than 2025). URLTA counties only. Subsection (a)(1)'s cross-reference to 66-28-301 (the deposit section) is reproduced as it appears on the mirror. Other summaries online describe broader protections or a presumption period, but the mirror's statute text does not contain them; verify against the official text. Source: T.C.A. 66-28-514 |
Related questions
Tennessee vs. neighboring states
| State | Repair and deduct | Withholding rent | Landlord retaliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | Limited to essential services, in URLTA counties. If the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply essential services (utilities such as gas, heat and electricity, and other duties materially affecting health and safety), the tenant must give written notice and may then choose ONE remedy: (A) obtain the services and deduct the actual, reasonable cost from rent; (B) recover damages for the reduced rental value while staying in the unit; or (C) obtain reasonable substitute housing, paying no rent during the noncompliance. Attorney's fees are recoverable. T.C.A. 66-28-502 | No general rent-withholding statute. The only rent excusal: in URLTA counties, a tenant who gets reasonable substitute housing because the landlord deliberately or negligently failed to supply essential services owes no rent during the noncompliance (after written notice). T.C.A. 66-28-502(a)(1)(C) | URLTA counties: a landlord may not retaliate by raising rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an eviction because the tenant complained to the landlord of a violation under 66-28-301 or used remedies under the URLTA. Exceptions: the landlord may still seek possession if the tenant's household caused the code violation, the tenant is behind on rent, or code compliance requires work that would effectively deprive the tenant of the unit. The statute sets no time-based presumption of retaliation. T.C.A. 66-28-514 |
| Alabama | Not available. Alabama's Act does not include the URLTA self-help repair-and-deduct remedy; § 35-9A-403 is 'Reserved'. Instead, the tenant may give 14 days' written notice to terminate if the landlord does not fix a material habitability breach, and may sue for actual damages and injunctive relief. Ala. Code §§ 35-9A-401, 35-9A-403, 35-9A-404 | Not allowed. A tenant in possession may not withhold rent to enforce any right under the Act. In an action for possession or rent, the tenant may counterclaim but must pay accrued and accruing rent into court. Ala. Code §§ 35-9A-164, 35-9A-405 | A landlord may not retaliate by raising rent, decreasing services, or bringing or threatening an action for possession because the tenant (1) complained to a government code-enforcement agency about a health or safety violation, (2) complained to the landlord about a § 35-9A-204 maintenance violation, or (3) organized or joined a tenants' union. Remedies are those in § 35-9A-407 plus a defense to eviction. Ala. Code § 35-9A-501 |
| Arkansas | Not available. For leases entered into or renewed after November 1, 2021, the implied minimum standards are: hot and cold running water, electricity, potable drinking water, code-conforming sewer and plumbing, a functioning roof and building envelope, and existing heat and air conditioning. If the tenant is current on rent and gives written notice, and the landlord does not remedy the problem within 30 calendar days, the tenant's sole remedy is to terminate the lease without penalty and receive the recoverable deposit. Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502 (added by Act 1052 of 2021) | Not allowed. A tenant may not offset or withhold rent for any alleged or actual violation of the implied quality standards. In an unlawful detainer, a tenant who stays in possession must deposit rent into the court registry. Ark. Code Ann. §§ 18-17-502(d)(3), 18-60-307(c) | No statute — Arkansas has no landlord anti-retaliation statute. The Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (Ch. 17) and the deposit subchapter contain no retaliation provision or presumption period. Ark. Code Ann. Title 18, Ch. 17 (§§ 18-17-101 et seq.); §§ 18-16-301 to -306 |
| Georgia | No repair-and-deduct statute identified. The DCA Handbook describes the practice: notify the landlord in writing before repairing, use a qualified professional at reasonable cost, keep estimates and receipts, and deduct from the next rent; not for common areas, and the landlord may dispute necessity or cost. Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (DCA, rev. 8-29-24), p. 11 | Not permitted as a general remedy; tenants generally must keep paying rent even if repairs are not made, or the landlord can begin eviction. Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (DCA, rev. 8-29-24), p. 11 | Landlord may not retaliate because a tenant, in good faith, asserted a lease or legal right, asked for repairs or used a remedy under the landlord-tenant chapter, complained to a housing or code enforcement agency or a utility about a condition the landlord must fix, or formed or joined a tenant organization about habitability. A tenant makes a prima facie case of retaliation if, within 3 months after the protected act, the landlord files for eviction (with exceptions), deprives the tenant of use of the premises, reduces services, raises rent, terminates the lease, or materially interferes with the tenant's lease rights. Retaliation is a defense to eviction. Remedy: a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500, court costs, reasonable attorney's fees if the conduct was willful, wanton or malicious, and declaratory relief, minus any rent or other sums the tenant owes. O.C.G.A. § 44-7-24 |
| Kentucky | URLTA areas: if the landlord willfully fails to fix a health/safety violation costing less than the greater of $100 or one-half month's rent within 14 days after written notice (sooner in emergencies), the tenant may have the work done and deduct the paid, itemized cost from rent. For willful failure to supply heat, water, hot water, electric, gas or other essential services, the tenant may buy them and deduct the cost. Non-URLTA areas: no statute. KRS 383.635; KRS 383.640 | No general withholding right. URLTA areas: in a nonpayment possession action the tenant may counterclaim and the court may order rent paid into court; a tenant who obtains substitute housing during an essential-services failure is excused from rent for that period. Non-URLTA areas: no statute. KRS 383.645; KRS 383.640(1)(c) | URLTA areas: landlord may not raise rent, decrease services, or bring or threaten eviction after a tenant complains to a code agency, complains to the landlord about KRS 383.595 maintenance duties, or joins/organizes a tenants' union. A complaint within one year before the act creates a presumption of retaliation. Remedies: those in KRS 383.655 (up to 3 months' rent plus attorney fees) and a defense to eviction. Non-URLTA areas: no statute. KRS 383.705 |
| Mississippi | Allowed. If the landlord has not repaired a specific, material defect within 30 days after the tenant's written notice, the tenant may make the repair and is owed reimbursement within 45 days after giving the landlord receipted bills. Conditions: the tenant has met their own duties under § 89-8-25, the cost is no more than one month's rent, the tenant has not used this remedy in the previous 6 months, and the tenant is current on rent. Reimbursement is limited to the usual and customary charge for the repair, and the cost may be offset against future rent. Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-15 | No statute authorizes rent withholding. The only statutory self-help remedy is repair-and-deduct under § 89-8-15, where the repair cost may be offset against future rent. A tenant may also end the tenancy for the landlord's material noncompliance after a 14-day notice (§ 89-8-13(2)–(3)). Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-13, 89-8-15 | Very limited. There is no general anti-retaliation statute and no presumption period. The only reference is in § 89-8-17(2): after a lease expires, a landlord may raise the rent only if the action's dominant purpose was not retaliation for the tenant's actions authorized under the Act, and the landlord had received written notice of each condition the tenant acted on. Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-17(2) |
| Missouri | Allowed in narrow cases: tenant must have lived there 6 consecutive months, be current on rent, and have no uncured written lease-violation notice. The condition must affect habitability, sanitation, or security and violate a local housing/building code. Reasonable repair cost must be under $300 or one-half month's rent, whichever is greater, but never more than one month's rent. Tenant gives written notice; landlord has 14 days (or promptly in an emergency) to fix. Tenant then gives an itemized statement with receipts. Total deductions are capped at one month's rent in any 12-month period. RSMo 441.234 | No general right to withhold rent. The AG says a tenant who withholds rent may be evicted. Exceptions: repair-and-deduct under 441.234, and court-ordered rent payments in a deficient-housing/nuisance receivership action, which are a defense to eviction for nonpayment. RSMo 441.234; 441.570-441.580 | No general statewide anti-retaliation statute for residential tenants. RSMo Chs. 441, 534 and 535 (no section on retaliation) |
| North Carolina | No statutory repair-and-deduct remedy. Tenant's remedies for breach of the landlord's repair duties are by civil action; tenant may not unilaterally withhold rent before a court determination. N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-42, 42-44 | Not allowed: the tenant may not unilaterally withhold rent before a judicial determination of a right to do so. Rent and the landlord's fit-premises duties are mutually dependent, so a tenant may seek rent abatement/damages in court (including as a counterclaim). N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-44(c), 42-41 | Protected acts: good-faith repair requests/complaints to the landlord, complaints to a government agency about health/safety/housing code violations, a government agency's formal complaint, good-faith efforts to enforce lease or legal rights, and tenant-organizing. Tenant may raise retaliation as a defense if the eviction is substantially in response to a protected act within 12 months before filing; if proven, the court denies ejectment. N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 42-37.1, 42-37.2 |
| Virginia | Yes. If the landlord does not take reasonable steps within 14 days after written notice of a material noncompliance or hazard, the tenant may hire a licensed contractor (or licensed pest business for rodents) and deduct actual costs up to the greater of one month's rent or $1,500, after giving the landlord an itemized statement with receipts. Va. Code 55.1-1244.1 | No self-help withholding. Tenant may file a tenant's assertion in general district court and pay rent into court escrow (within five days of each due date); more than 30 days after the landlord receives written notice is presumed an unreasonable delay. Initial hearing within 15 calendar days of service on the landlord. Va. Code 55.1-1244 | Landlord may not raise rent, decrease services, bring or threaten an action for possession, or terminate the lease in retaliation for a tenant's code complaint to a government agency, complaint to the landlord or lawsuit about a VRLTA violation, organizing/joining a tenants' organization, or testifying against the landlord. Tenant bears the burden of proving retaliatory intent; no statutory presumption period. Va. Code 55.1-1258 |
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 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 Landlord Selling the House
- Tennessee Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation
- Tennessee Subletting, Lease Endings & Tenant Death
- All Tennessee landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in Tennessee
Compare repairs & habitability in all 50 states and DC →
Tennessee Repairs & Tenant Remedies FAQ
Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in Tennessee?
Limited to essential services, in URLTA counties. If the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply essential services (utilities such as gas, heat and electricity, and other duties materially affecting health and safety), the tenant must give written notice and may then choose ONE remedy: (A) obtain the services and deduct the actual, reasonable cost from rent; (B) recover damages for the reduced rental value while staying in the unit; or (C) obtain reasonable substitute housing, paying no rent during the noncompliance. Attorney's fees are recoverable. (T.C.A. 66-28-502)
Can a tenant withhold rent for repairs in Tennessee?
No general rent-withholding statute. The only rent excusal: in URLTA counties, a tenant who gets reasonable substitute housing because the landlord deliberately or negligently failed to supply essential services owes no rent during the noncompliance (after written notice). (T.C.A. 66-28-502(a)(1)(C))
Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Tennessee?
URLTA counties: a landlord may not retaliate by raising rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an eviction because the tenant complained to the landlord of a violation under 66-28-301 or used remedies under the URLTA. Exceptions: the landlord may still seek possession if the tenant's household caused the code violation, the tenant is behind on rent, or code compliance requires work that would effectively deprive the tenant of the unit. The statute sets no time-based presumption of retaliation. (T.C.A. 66-28-514)
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.