Tennessee Landlord Repair Duties & Habitability Rights (2026)

What a landlord must fix, and your options when they do not

At a glance

• Core duty: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304 — 房东义务：遵守影响健康安全的建筑/住房法规、保持 fit and habitable、common area 清洁安全、4+ 单元提供垃圾收集。
• Notice before acting: 66-28-501：租客书面通知后，房东须在 14 天内修复；未修复租客可终止租约、追偿损害、请求强制履行与律师费。
• Governing authority: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers the landlord's duty to maintain a habitable home in Tennessee, and what you can do when repairs go unmade.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conditions you caused yourself (which are treated differently).

The landlord's duty

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304 — 房东义务：遵守影响健康安全的建筑/住房法规、保持 fit and habitable、common area 清洁安全、4+ 单元提供垃圾收集。

URLTA 仅适用人口 >75,000 的县。房东与租客可书面约定租客承担特定维修（须善意、非规避义务）。

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304 ↗

What the duty covers in practice

Notice and time to cure

66-28-501：租客书面通知后，房东须在 14 天内修复；未修复租客可终止租约、追偿损害、请求强制履行与律师费。

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-501 ↗

Your remedies when repairs go unmade

Landlord entry rules

房东进入须合理通知（一般 24 小时），紧急情况除外（66-28-403）。

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-403 ↗

When the duty does not apply

缺陷系租客或经其同意的他人造成的，房东无义务。

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304 ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304(a)(1)-(2)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304(a)(3)-(4)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-501	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-502	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-403	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Tennessee guides

Tennessee Security Deposit Return · Tennessee Security Deposit Rules · Tennessee Eviction Process · Tennessee Rent Increase Rules · Tennessee Landlord Retaliation

→ All Tennessee tenant rights topics

Common questions