Free Tennessee Rent-to-Own Agreement Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Tennessee Rent-to-Own Agreement

This Rent-to-Own Agreement is built with Tennessee as the governing state. These are the Tennessee landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.

Tennessee rules at a glance

Tennessee rules for a Rent-to-Own Agreement
Security deposit limit	No statutory cap
Deposit return	No fixed refund deadline; damage must be found within 30 days of move-out (or 7 days after a new tenant moves in, if sooner)Tenn. Code §66-28-301
Deposit account location	Where the deposit is held; the account number isn’t required (§66-28-301).
Deposit rules	The separate-account and damage-listing requirements are conditions of keeping any deposit at all (§66-28-301(c)).
Rent-increase notice	No statute; month-to-month changes need the 30-day termination notice in practice
Rent control	Prohibited statewideTenn. Code §66-35-102

Security deposits in Tennessee

Tennessee sets no maximum deposit. Where the URLTA applies, it regulates where the money is kept and how damage claims are made — and, unusually, it sets no fixed number of days to refund the balance.

Separate account — Every deposit must be held in an account used only for security deposits at a state- or federally-regulated bank or lending institution, and the tenant must be told where the account is (§66-28-301).
Move-out inspection — After move-out the landlord inspects and lists any damage with the estimated repair cost; the tenant has a right to inspect and sign the list, and can later dispute in court only the items they specifically dissented from (§66-28-301(b), (d)).
Forfeiture — A landlord who didn’t keep the deposit in a proper account and didn’t provide the damage listing may not keep any of the deposit (§66-28-301(c)).
Damage window — Damage is recoverable only if discovered before the earlier of 30 days after the tenant vacates or 7 days after a new tenant takes possession (§66-28-301(g)).
Unclaimed refunds — If a refund is due, the landlord notifies the tenant at the last known address; if there is no response within 60 days, the landlord may keep the deposit (§66-28-301(f)).

Rent & late fees

Rent is payable without demand at the agreed time and place; absent agreement it is due at the dwelling at the start of each month (§66-28-201(c)).

5-day grace period — No late fee may be charged until five days after rent is due. If the fifth day falls on a Sunday or legal holiday, rent paid on the next business day isn’t late (§66-28-201(d)).
10% cap — A late charge, however described, can’t exceed 10% of the amount of rent past due (§66-28-201(d)).
Rent increases — Tennessee has no rent-increase notice statute. A fixed-term lease can’t be changed mid-term without agreement; for a month-to-month tenancy, an increase should come with at least the 30 days’ notice needed to end the tenancy (§66-28-512(b)).
Rent control — No local government may enact or enforce any ordinance controlling rent on private residential property — this applies statewide, not just in URLTA counties (§66-35-102).

Required disclosures in Tennessee

Tennessee doesn’t require state mold, bedbug, or flood disclosures for ordinary residential leases.

Owner, manager & maintenance contact — In writing: the manager and an owner or authorized agent, plus — for leases entered, amended, or renewed from January 1, 2025 — a maintenance phone number or email address, or an online portal (§66-28-302).
Deposit account location — Where the deposit is held; the account number isn’t required (§66-28-301).
Lead-based paint — Federal warning, pamphlet, and known-hazard disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. §4852d).

Tenant protections you can’t waive

Prohibited lease terms — A lease can’t authorize confession of judgment or excuse or limit the landlord’s legal liability; such clauses are unenforceable, and a landlord who knowingly uses one owes actual damages (§66-28-203).
No retaliation — A landlord may not raise rent, cut services, or seek possession because the tenant complained of a violation or used the Act’s remedies (§66-28-514).
Deposit rules — The separate-account and damage-listing requirements are conditions of keeping any deposit at all (§66-28-301(c)).
Local preemption — In URLTA counties, the Act occupies the whole field of landlord–tenant regulation, so cities and counties can’t layer on their own rules (§66-28-102(e)).

Tennessee Rent-to-Own Agreement FAQs

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Tennessee?

There’s no statutory cap. In URLTA counties the deposit must be kept in a separate account used only for deposits, and the tenant must be told where it’s held (§66-28-301).

How long does a Tennessee landlord have to return a security deposit?

The statute sets no fixed refund deadline. It does limit damage claims to damage discovered before the earlier of 30 days after move-out or 7 days after a new tenant moves in, and lets the landlord keep an unclaimed refund after 60 days’ unanswered notice (§66-28-301).

How much notice is needed to end a month-to-month lease in Tennessee?

Thirty days’ written notice before the periodic rental date, from either side; a week-to-week tenancy needs 10 days (§66-28-512).

Rent-to-Own Agreement in other states

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