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Free Tennessee Short-Term
Rental Agreement Template

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Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Tennessee Short-Term Rental Agreement

This Short-Term Rental 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 Short-Term Rental Agreement
Security deposit limitNo statutory cap
Deposit returnNo 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 locationWhere the deposit is held; the account number isn’t required (§66-28-301).
Deposit rulesThe separate-account and damage-listing requirements are conditions of keeping any deposit at all (§66-28-301(c)).
Late feesNot until rent is 5 days late; max 10% of the rent past dueTenn. Code §66-28-201(d)

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 Short-Term Rental 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).

What is the maximum late fee in Tennessee?

In URLTA counties, no late fee may be charged until rent is five days late (extended to the next business day if the fifth day is a Sunday or holiday), and it can’t exceed 10% of the past-due rent (§66-28-201(d)).

More Tennessee landlord documents

Short-Term Rental Agreement in other states

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