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Landlord repairs in Tennessee

Source: Tenn. Code Ann. title 66, ch. 28 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act), incl. §§ 66-28-304, 66-28-501, 66-28-502 — applies only in counties over 75,000 population (2010 census); exact statutory text not verified (official code is behind a LexisNexis terms gate) · Checked against the statute

Time to repair
14 days
Repair and deduct
Allowed with limits
Withhold rent
Not allowed
End the lease
Allowed with limits

Tennessee repair deadline

Choose the state and the date the landlord got your request.

The landlord's duty to repair

In counties covered by the URLTA, the landlord must keep the home fit to live in and in good repair and keep shared areas clean and safe (Legal Aid Society pamphlet; TN Dept. of Health says the Act requires landlords to maintain rentals that meet building and housing codes affecting health and safety). In counties not covered, legal aid says the home must be safe and follow health codes at move-in, and the lease largely decides who repairs what. (Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304 (as summarized by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and TN Dept. of Health))

Telling the landlord

Legal aid says the law requires the tenant to ask for repairs in writing, dated, keeping a copy; HELP4TN says a letter, email or text message that shows the date works. For loss of essential services (lights, heat, gas, water, sewage, plumbing) the tenant must also write the landlord. (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 66-28-501, 66-28-502 (as summarized by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee; HELP4TN))

The notice must be in writing. Write a Tennessee repair request letter.

How long the landlord has

For ordinary repairs needed to keep the home safe and fit, the landlord has 14 days (2 weeks) after written notice before the tenant may act (Legal Aid Society; HELP4TN; TN Dept. of Health 'about 14 days'). Essential services must be fixed right away.

Urgent problems: Lights, heat, gas, water, sewage or plumbing: legal aid says these must be fixed 'right away' after the written notice; no exact number of hours was verified.

Law: Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 66-28-501, 66-28-502 (as summarized by legal aid)

Repair it yourself and deduct the cost

Allowed with limits. Only for essential services (lights, heat, gas, water, sewage, plumbing) not caused by the tenant: after written notice, if not fixed right away, the tenant may use part of the rent to get them fixed and send the landlord a copy of the bill with the rest of the rent (Legal Aid Society). HELP4TN says a tenant may be able to repair and deduct after 2 weeks but should not do so without a lawyer. Any dollar cap could not be verified from an official source.

Law:
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-502 (as summarized by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee; HELP4TN)

Withholding rent

Not allowed. Legal aid says never skip paying rent because repairs have not been made; not paying breaks the lease and can lead to eviction. Exception: when essential services fail, a tenant who gets other housing while waiting does not owe rent on the unit until moving back.

Law:
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-502 (as summarized by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee)

Ending the lease over repairs

Allowed with limits. If the landlord does not make a repair within 14 days after written notice, the tenant may be able to move out, but only if the problem makes the place unsafe (e.g. broken blinds do not qualify). For essential services, the tenant may give a 14-day notice and move out if the repairs are not made (Legal Aid Society).

Law:
Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 66-28-501, 66-28-502 (as summarized by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee)

Going to court

The tenant may sue; a judge can order the landlord to repay money the tenant spent on repairs the law or lease required the landlord to make (with receipts). For essential services, the tenant may sue for money or get substitute housing and owe no rent on the unit meanwhile (Legal Aid Society). Tenants in covered counties may complain to the TN Attorney General's Division of Consumer Affairs, which may try to mediate.

Protection from retaliation

In URLTA counties, legal aid says a landlord may not evict a tenant for asking for repairs or reporting problems to the health or codes department, unless the tenant is behind on rent, the tenant or household/guests caused the problem, or the home would have to be torn down or remodeled to fix it. Whether a presumption period applies could not be verified from an official copy of the statute. In counties not covered by the URLTA, Legal Aid Society's rural-renters booklet says it is against the law for a landlord to evict a tenant for complaining to the Building Inspector. (Tenn. Code Ann. ch. 66-28 (as summarized by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee, URLTA and rural-renters booklets))

Reporting unsafe conditions

Report unsafe conditions (wiring, plumbing, rotting wood) to the local codes department and unhealthy conditions (garbage, bugs, rats) to the county health department; large cities and counties have codes departments, many rural areas do not (Legal Aid Society; TN Dept. of Health).

Also good to know

  • The URLTA applies only in counties with a population over 75,000 per the 2010 census (TN Dept. of Health). Legal aid's covered-county list: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner, Washington, Williamson, Wilson. The TN AG's consumer page still lists a 68,000 threshold and adds Greene and Putnam, so coverage of those two counties is unclear.
  • In counties not covered by the URLTA, legal aid says a local building inspector may inspect and order repairs under the state housing code if the rent is $200 or less a week, the rent is paid up, and the tenant files a written complaint; emergency problems (broken heater, burst pipe) should be fixed immediately.
  • Legal Aid Society of Middle TN (May 2024 news post): Tennessee's Landlord-Tenant Act does not give renters a right to air conditioning, and mold is not specifically covered.
  • GAPS: the official Tennessee Code is only available through a LexisNexis terms-of-use gate, and the TN courts site served a script challenge, so the exact statutory text (repair-and-deduct cap, emergency deadline, termination timing, retaliation presumption) could not be verified; facts here come from legal aid and state agency summaries.
  • The TN Department of Health's Healthy Homes page, citing the Legal Aid Society, lists A/C with heat, gas, water, electricity, sewage and plumbing as emergency repairs that must be addressed immediately, and says non-emergency repairs should be done within about 14 days; this conflicts with Legal Aid Society's 2024 statement that the Act gives no right to air conditioning.

Related

Sources

Laws change. This page was checked against the sources above on October 14, 2026. It is legal information, not legal advice; before withholding rent or ending a lease, contact your state's legal aid. See our methodology.