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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in Tennessee

In Tennessee counties covered by the landlord and tenant act, a landlord must store an abandoning tenant's belongings for at least 30 days, then may sell or dispose of them and apply the proceeds to amounts owed.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Tennessee at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, when abandonment is based on 15 days unpaid rent
The posted and mailed notice is required when abandonment rests on rent 15 days late plus other signs of move-out. A 30 day unexplained absence without rent payment is itself evidence of abandonment.
Holding period
30 days
Counted from when the landlord takes possession of the belongings.
After the holding period
Sell or dispose of it; apply proceeds to amounts owed
Proceeds go to unpaid rent, damages, storage, sale costs and attorney fees; any balance is held 6 months after the sale.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Tennessee

Does a landlord in Tennessee have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, when abandonment is based on 15 days unpaid rent. Written notice required in Tennessee: yes, when abandonment is based on 15 days unpaid rent. The posted and mailed notice is required when abandonment rests on rent 15 days late plus other signs of move-out. A 30 day unexplained absence without rent payment is itself evidence of abandonment.

How long must a landlord in Tennessee keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in Tennessee: 30 days. Counted from when the landlord takes possession of the belongings.

What can a landlord in Tennessee do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in Tennessee: Sell or dispose of it; apply proceeds to amounts owed. Proceeds go to unpaid rent, damages, storage, sale costs and attorney fees; any balance is held 6 months after the sale.

Where do the Tennessee tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from Tenn. Code 66-28-405 and Tenn. Code 66-28-102. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in counties with a population over 75,000 under the 2010 federal census.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.