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Rent increases in Tennessee

Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512 (URLTA periodic tenancy); § 66-28-514 (retaliation); § 66-28-102 (URLTA counties; 2021 Pub. Ch. 182); § 66-35-102 (rent-control preemption; 2016 Pub. Ch. 822) · Checked against the statute

Notice
10–30 days
Statewide cap
No statewide cap
During a lease
Only if the lease allows it
Local rent control
Banned by state law

When can a rent increase start in Tennessee?

Choose the state and the date the notice is given.

How much notice is required

Tennessee has no statute written specifically for rent increases. In counties covered by URLTA, a month-to-month tenancy is changed by written notice at least 30 days before a rent due date, and a week-to-week tenancy by 10 days' written notice. Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee says the notice must cover one full rental month. Example: a notice given May 5 for rent due on the 1st can't raise the rent until after July 1. (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-512(a)–(b); Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee)

No separate rent-increase rule: the periods below are the notice to end a periodic tenancy.

Applies toWhenNotice
Month-to-month—30 days
Week-to-week—10 days
  • The notice must be in writing.
  • The change can only start at the end of a rental period (on a rent day).

Example: a notice handed over on November 2, 2026 in Tennessee

Earliest date the new rent can start, with rent due on the 1st, worked out from the Tennessee rule above:

  • For a month-to-month tenant of 1 year raising rent 5% or a month-to-month tenant of 3 years raising rent 12%: Friday, January 1, 2027
  • For a week-to-week tenant raising rent 5%: Tuesday, December 1, 2026

Raising rent during a lease

In URLTA counties, Help4TN says the landlord cannot increase the rent until the lease ends and the tenant signs a new lease. For rural (non-URLTA) counties, West Tennessee Legal Services says rent generally can't be raised during a lease unless the lease says it may change, and then the lease's notice procedure must be followed. (Help4TN, URLTA Renters; West Tennessee Legal Services, Renters' Rights and Duties (Rural TN Counties))

City and county rent control

No local government may enact, maintain or enforce an ordinance or resolution that would control the rent for private residential or commercial property. Only voluntary incentive programs are allowed. A 2025 bill to allow local rent control (HB 955/SB 961) was deferred to 2027 and is not law. (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-35-102)

Retaliatory rent increases

In URLTA counties, a landlord may not retaliate by raising rent because the tenant complained to the landlord of a violation under § 66-28-301, or used remedies under the URLTA. The statute sets no presumption period. (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-514)

Also good to know

  • URLTA (and its notice and retaliation rules) applies only in its listed counties: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner, Washington, Williamson and Wilson (Help4TN). Since 2021, a county not covered does not become covered when its population grows past 75,000 (Pub. Ch. 182).
  • Outside URLTA counties common law applies. Legal aid says a monthly payer usually must be told a month ahead, and a fixed-term tenant must be told in writing. Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-7-109 requires a 30-day termination notice for eviction outside the URLTA (General Assembly bill summary, SB 2443 of 2020).
  • The official Tennessee Code is published only through LexisNexis behind a terms-of-use gate. Statute wording was checked against General Assembly bill summaries, session laws, legal aid and a FindLaw reprint (current as of January 2, 2024).
  • No statewide limit on the amount or frequency of rent increases.

Other Tennessee renting rules in numbers

Security deposit
No statutory limit. Return deadline: No fixed deadline.
Notice for unpaid rent
14 days (pay or move out)
How a written notice is delivered (eviction-notice rules)
The URLTA sources checked do not set a general delivery method for these notices. If the tenant gave an email address in the rental agreement, the landlord may send notices required by the URLTA to that email address, unless a provision requires a different form of notice; the landlord may not require an email address as a condition of the lease (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-108, added by Pub. Ch. 272 (2011)).
Notice for other lease violations
14 days (varies)
Small claims court limit
$25,000 — where most deposit and rent disputes are filed.
Repairs
Time to repair: 14 days. Repair and deduct: allowed with limits; withholding rent: not allowed.
Deposit kept wrongly
No multiple-damages penalty. A landlord who neither used the required account nor gave the damage listing may not keep any part of the deposit (§ 66-28-301(c)). A tenant may sue in circuit or general sessions court only over items they dissented from.

Sources

Laws change. This page was checked against the sources above on October 15, 2026. It is legal information, not legal advice; for a dispute, contact your state's legal aid. See our methodology.