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Free Tennessee Security Deposit
Return Letter Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Tennessee Security Deposit Return Letter

When a tenancy ends, a Tennessee landlord has a set time to return the deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. Here’s what Tennessee’s statute says.

Tennessee rules at a glance

Tennessee rules for a Security Deposit Return Letter
Return deadlineThere is no fixed refund deadline: if a refund is due the landlord notifies the tenant at the last known address, and may keep the deposit if there is no response within 60 days.Tenn. Code §66-28-301(f)
Damage windowDamage is recoverable only if discovered before the earlier of 30 days after the tenant vacates or 7 days after a new tenant takes possession.Tenn. Code §66-28-301(g)
ForfeitureA 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.Tenn. Code §66-28-301(c)

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)).

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 Security Deposit Return Letter 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).

More Tennessee landlord documents

Security Deposit Return Letter in other states

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