Tennessee · Security deposits · Updated Oct 2026

Tennessee security deposit law

How much a landlord in Tennessee can charge, the deadline to return a deposit, what may be deducted, the penalty for keeping it wrongly and how to get yours back.

Short answer

In Tennessee, the deposit limit is: No statewide limit. The landlord must return it as follows: No fixed number of days.

deposit limit: No statewide limit
to return a deposit: No fixed deadline
deposit penalty: See below

Security deposit in Tennessee

Limit: No statewide limit.
Deadline to return it: No fixed number of days. In counties covered by the Act, if you move out owing no rent, the landlord must send a notice of the refund amount to your last known address. If you do not respond within 60 days after that notice is sent, the landlord may keep the money. Give the landlord your new address in writing and answer the refund notice quickly. If you leave owing rent or other money, the landlord may apply the deposit to that debt.
Itemized list: Yes, in counties covered by the Act. You have a right to inspect the home with the landlord after you move out (the landlord may set it on move-out day or within 4 calendar days after). If you ask for a joint inspection, you and the landlord make and sign a list of damage and estimated repair costs; if you refuse to sign, write down exactly which items you dispute. You can lose the inspection right if you leave without written notice, abandon the home, are evicted by the court, don't contact the landlord after the inspection notice, or don't show up to a scheduled inspection. Then the landlord makes the list alone, but must mail you a copy if you ask in writing. Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301(b).
What may be deducted: Unpaid rent and other amounts you owe, and the cost of physical damage you caused (listed after the move-out inspection). Damage found later can be charged only if found within 30 days after you leave or 7 days after a new tenant moves in, whichever is first.
Interest: No statute requires interest.
Separate account: Yes. In counties covered by the Act, the landlord must keep deposits in an account used only for deposits, at a regulated bank, and must tell you where the account is when you sign the lease and pay the deposit.
If the landlord keeps it wrongly: A landlord who neither kept the deposit in the required separate account nor gave the damage listing may not keep any part of the deposit. You can sue in general sessions or circuit court, but only over items you disputed in writing on the damage list. There is no double or triple penalty in the statute. If you end the lease because of the landlord's violation, the landlord must return prepaid rent and the deposit you are owed (§ 66-28-501(b)). Outside covered counties there is no deposit statute; you can sue for the money under your lease.
Law: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301 (counties covered by the Act only)

Get your deposit back, step by step

Before you move out, clean, take dated photos and video of every room, and return all keys.
Give your landlord your new address in writing. In Tennessee: In counties covered by the Act, if you move out owing no rent, the landlord must send a notice of the refund amount to your last known address.
Wait for the deadline: No fixed number of days.
If the money or an itemized list doesn't come, or the deductions are wrong, send a demand letter (below). Keep proof of mailing.
If that doesn't work, sue in small claims court. Limit: Tennessee has no court called small claims; General Sessions Court hears civil cases up to $25,000. Small claims court in Tennessee on Small Claims Map

Deposit return calculator for Tennessee

Find your state's deadline for returning a security deposit, whether your landlord is late and what you may be owed. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Security deposit demand letter for Tennessee

A short, firm and polite letter asking your landlord to return your deposit by a date. It cites your state's deposit law. Many landlords pay at this step, and the letter is proof that you asked. Fill this in, download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail with a return receipt.

Small claims court in Tennessee

Deposit disputes usually go to small claims court, where you don't need a lawyer. Limit: Tennessee has no court called small claims; General Sessions Court hears civil cases up to $25,000.

How to file in Tennessee

Questions about security deposits in Tennessee

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Tennessee?

No statewide limit.

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Tennessee?

No fixed number of days. In counties covered by the Act, if you move out owing no rent, the landlord must send a notice of the refund amount to your last known address. If you do not respond within 60 days after that notice is sent, the landlord may keep the money. Give the landlord your new address in writing and answer the refund notice quickly. If you leave owing rent or other money, the landlord may apply the deposit to that debt.

What can I do if my landlord won't return my deposit in Tennessee?

A landlord who neither kept the deposit in the required separate account nor gave the damage listing may not keep any part of the deposit. You can sue in general sessions or circuit court, but only over items you disputed in writing on the damage list. There is no double or triple penalty in the statute. If you end the lease because of the landlord's violation, the landlord must return prepaid rent and the deposit you are owed (§ 66-28-501(b)). Outside covered counties there is no deposit statute; you can sue for the money under your lease.

What can a landlord deduct from a security deposit in Tennessee?

Unpaid rent and other amounts you owe, and the cost of physical damage you caused (listed after the move-out inspection). Damage found later can be charged only if found within 30 days after you leave or 7 days after a new tenant moves in, whichever is first.

Does a landlord have to pay interest on a security deposit in Tennessee?

No statute requires interest.

What is the small claims limit in Tennessee?

Tennessee has no court called small claims; General Sessions Court hears civil cases up to $25,000.

More for Tennessee renters

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Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.