What a Landlord Cannot Do in Tennessee
The main limits Tennessee law puts on landlords — lockouts and utility shutoffs, entering without notice, retaliation, deposits, fees and discrimination — each with the statute or official source.
In short: a Tennessee landlord cannot evict without a court order, cannot punish a tenant for asserting legal rights where state law protects them, and must follow the state's rules on entry, deposits and fees shown below.
| Lockouts & utility shutoffs | URLTA counties: if a landlord unlawfully removes or excludes the tenant, or willfully cuts essential services required by the lease, the tenant may recover possession or end the lease. In either case the tenant may recover actual damages, punitive damages when appropriate, and reasonable attorney's fees. If the lease ends, the landlord must return all prepaid rent and deposits. All counties: a person may enter and take possession of property only where the law gives a right of entry, and then only peaceably. Entering a home occupied by another and holding it by force, threats or intimidation, removing the occupant's belongings, or entering peaceably and then keeping the occupant out by force or terror is a forcible entry and detainer. Outside URLTA counties, no statute sets a specific damages remedy for a lockout or utility shutoff. 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. 66-28-517(d) also bars a landlord from retaking the unit by cutting electric, gas or other essential services, except after abandonment or surrender. Forcible entry and detainer definitions: https://codes.findlaw.com/tn/title-29-remedies-and-special-proceedings/tn-code-sect-29-18-102/ (FindLaw mirror, current as of Jan. 2, 2024); see also 29-18-101 and 29-18-103. T.C.A. ch. 66-7 (§§ 66-7-101 to 66-7-113) has no lockout or utility provision. |
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| Landlord entry notice | No general advance-notice requirement. In URLTA counties, the tenant may not unreasonably refuse consent to entry to inspect, repair, supply services, or show the unit. The landlord may enter without consent in an emergency, or when utilities are off through no fault of the landlord. Otherwise the landlord may enter only by court order, if the unit is abandoned or surrendered, if the tenant is deceased, incapacitated or incarcerated, or as the statute otherwise allows. Showings to prospective tenants in the final 30 days of the lease are allowed only if the lease provides for them and 24 hours' notice is given. The landlord may not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant. Non-URLTA counties: no statute; the lease governs entry. 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. T.C.A. ch. 66-7 (§§ 66-7-101 to 66-7-113), which applies in all counties, has no entry or notice-of-entry provision. |
| 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 |
| Security deposit limit | No statutory cap on the amount of a security deposit. Outside URLTA counties, no statute regulates security deposits; the lease governs. 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). 66-28-301, the deposit section, sets no maximum. It is part of URLTA, so it applies only in URLTA counties. T.C.A. ch. 66-7 (§§ 66-7-101 to 66-7-113), which applies in all counties, has no security-deposit provision. |
| Penalty for withholding | A landlord who did not keep the deposit in the required separate account AND did not provide the required damage listing may not keep any part of the deposit. A tenant may sue in circuit or general sessions court over the final damage listing, but only for items the tenant specifically disputed in writing. 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. The statute sets no double or treble damages. Source: T.C.A. 66-28-301(c), (d) |
| Late fees | URLTA counties: no late fee may be charged until after a 5-day grace period, counting the due date as day 1. If the last day falls on a Sunday or legal holiday, no fee may be charged if rent is paid the next business day. Late fees may not exceed 10% of the past-due rent. Non-URLTA counties: no statute caps late fees or sets a grace period; the lease governs. 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. T.C.A. ch. 66-7 (§§ 66-7-101 to 66-7-113) has no late-fee provision. |
| Rent control / increase limits | Prohibited statewide: local governments may not enact, maintain or enforce any ordinance or resolution that would control the rent charged for private residential or commercial property. Local mandatory below-market (inclusionary) housing requirements are also barred, but voluntary incentive programs are allowed. 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). Applies statewide. Separately, in URLTA counties the Act occupies the whole field of landlord-tenant regulation, and counties may not adopt conflicting or additional rules (66-28-102(e); 2021 Pub. Ch. 182). Source: T.C.A. 66-35-102 |
| Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | No. The Tennessee Human Rights Act's housing provision covers race, color, creed, religion, sex, disability, familial status and national origin, but not source of income or vouchers. Official code published only via LexisNexis; text verified on a public mirror (code year 2024). Source: T.C.A. 4-21-601(a) |
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. Unlawful photography: it is an offense to knowingly photograph (including by video) a person who has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without prior effective consent, if the image would offend or embarrass an ordinary person and was taken for sexual gratification, or includes the person's unclothed intimate areas or sexual activity. Tennessee is a one-party consent state for audio interception. Tenants may not unreasonably refuse landlord entry for inspection or repairs; entry without consent is allowed in an emergency. Official code not freely readable online; text verified on a public code mirror (code year 2024). Interception statute: https://codes.findlaw.com/tn/title-39-criminal-offenses/tn-code-sect-39-13-601/. |
| Other rental fees | No general statute limiting move-in, convenience or other rental fees. The only statutory fee limit is on late fees in URLTA counties: none until after a 5-day grace period, and no more than 10% of the past-due rent. Official code published only via LexisNexis; text verified on a public mirror (code year 2024). Source: T.C.A. 66-28-201(d) |
Can I sue my landlord in Tennessee? · All Tennessee tenant rights
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.