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Tenant Repair Laws in Tennessee

In Tennessee counties covered by the landlord tenant act, a tenant may procure essential services the landlord fails to supply and deduct the cost from rent, and may seek damages after 14 days' written notice.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Tennessee at a glance

Repair and deduct
Essential services only
Covers utilities such as heat, gas and electricity and other duties materially affecting health and safety. Applies only in counties over 75,000 people (2010 census).
Landlord repair deadline
14 days after written notice
Written notice before the tenant may recover damages or seek an injunction for noncompliance.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Tennessee

Can a tenant repair and deduct the cost from rent in Tennessee?

Essential services only. Repair and deduct in Tennessee: essential services only. Covers utilities such as heat, gas and electricity and other duties materially affecting health and safety. Applies only in counties over 75,000 people (2010 census).

How long does a landlord have to make repairs after notice in Tennessee?

Landlord repair deadline in Tennessee: 14 days after written notice. Written notice before the tenant may recover damages or seek an injunction for noncompliance.

Where do the Tennessee tenant repair laws come from?

The rules above come from Tenn. Code 66-28-502, Tenn. Code 66-28-501 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 of more than 75,000 under the 2010 federal census.

What this means in practice

Give notice in writing and keep a copy. Tenant repair remedies usually start running only after the landlord has received notice of the problem, and a dated letter or email is the easiest way to prove when that happened.

Document the condition before and after. Photos, videos, inspection reports from a local code office and receipts for any repair work help show that the problem was serious and that any amount deducted or withheld matches the actual cost.

Stay current on everything else. Repair remedies generally protect only tenants who are not otherwise behind on rent and who did not cause the damage, and using a remedy the state does not allow can be treated as nonpayment of rent and lead to an eviction case.

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