🇺🇸 Tennessee tenant document
Landlord kept your deposit? Check the Tennessee return rules, then challenge withheld funds with an organized written demand, your dates and amounts, an evidence plan, and official starting points in one downloadable pack.
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Official framework
Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 66-28-102 and 66-28-301 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)
Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not set a fixed number of days for refunding a deposit; a landlord generally may charge for physical damage only if it was discovered within 30 days after the tenant vacated, or 7 days after a new tenant takes possession if earlier.
Read the official statute ↗Content reviewed October 2, 2026. General information only—not legal advice.
Tennessee security deposit rules
In Tennessee counties covered by the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, those with more than 75,000 residents in the 2010 census, landlords must hold security deposits in a separate account and follow move-out inspection and damage-listing rules, and generally may charge only for physical damage discovered within 30 days after the tenant vacates or 7 days after a new tenant moves in, whichever is earlier. The Act sets no fixed refund deadline or multiple-damages penalty, and a tenant’s court claim is limited to damage items specifically disputed in writing.
Watch your own deadline: If the landlord sent notice of a refund amount to your last known address, § 66-28-301(f) allows it to keep the deposit if it receives no response within 60 days after sending that notice, so respond in writing well before then. A signed move-out damage listing is generally conclusive, and a court claim is limited to items you specifically dissented from in writing; this letter states that dissent.
Check coverage: The Act applies only in counties with more than 75,000 residents in the 2010 federal census: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner, Washington, Williamson, and Wilson. Since July 1, 2021, later census growth no longer brings a county under the Act; elsewhere these statutory deposit rules do not apply and the lease and other law need separate review.
These are general summaries, not conclusions about your situation. Review the linked official text and obtain legal advice when needed.
Deadline calculator · Normal wear and tear vs. damage · How to get your deposit back · Deadlines in other states
Tennessee deposit dispute
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Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not set a fixed number of days for refunding a deposit; a landlord generally may charge for physical damage only if it was discovered within 30 days after the tenant vacated, or 7 days after a new tenant takes possession if earlier. Check the official statute for the conditions that apply to your tenancy.
No. The pack organizes a written demand and supporting record. The lease, facts, delivery, evidence, defenses, and any court decision control the result.
A personalized demand letter, timing worksheet, deduction dispute organizer, evidence and delivery log, and escalation-preparation sheet with official source links.
No. It identifies provisions to review and makes clear that potential enhanced remedies depend on facts and, if disputed, a court determination.
Yes. Complete the guided form to see a personalized preview. The finished five-part PDF costs $39 USD as a one-time purchase.