Free Tennessee Lease Agreement Template

Last updated July 17, 2026

Download a free Tennessee lease agreement template

A Tennessee residential lease agreement records the deal between a landlord and tenant for a home in Tennessee. It identifies the parties and premises, sets the rent and term, allocates utilities and maintenance responsibilities, and provides a written place for property rules. The free PDF and Word versions on this page are labeled for Tennessee and are intended as a practical starting document—not a substitute for checking which statutes, disclosures, or local rules apply to a particular property.

The principal research authority for this page is Tennessee Code Annotated titles 29 and 66, including the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and general lease statutes. Research scope: Official Tennessee General Assembly and Secretary of State sources governing the county-specific URLTA scope, general lease route, agreement terms, late fees, deposits, disclosures, habitability, access, default, periodic termination, protected tenants, retaliation, execution, judicial possession, and local preemption and code overlays. Because residential rules can depend on property type, tenancy length, location, and regulated-housing status, review the completed agreement and any required addenda before signing.

Tennessee lease topics to review

The current research draft for Tennessee identifies the following topics as relevant to residential lease preparation. Use them as a checklist, and verify each rule's scope, current text, and exceptions before adding a term to the lease.

• Tennessee URLTA is not statewide: its county threshold is fixed to the 2010 census, and listed arrangements are excluded or separately treated.
• In URLTA counties, Tennessee supplies agreement defaults and prohibits specified judgment, liability, indemnity, and waiver clauses.
• In URLTA counties, Tennessee provides a five-day grace period and caps any late-payment charge at 10 percent of past-due rent.
• In URLTA counties, Tennessee requires code-compliant, fit and habitable premises, maintained common areas and systems, and specified waste facilities.
• Tennessee URLTA requires written management and owner or service-agent identity and address information.
• Tennessee URLTA supplies a notice-based landlord-breach remedy and separate remedies for essential-service failure and unlawful exclusion.
• Tennessee's statute of frauds requires a lease longer than one year to be written and signed by the party to be charged or an authorized agent.
• Tennessee requires both a county URLTA classification and a local-code review, with a specific preemption constraint in URLTA counties.

The final lease should not waive protections that cannot lawfully be waived. If a selected term conflicts with a controlling statute, official form, court order, housing-program rule, or local ordinance, the controlling rule applies even when the parties signed different language.

What to include in a Tennessee residential lease

• Landlord, tenant, and premises details — use the parties' full legal names, the complete Tennessee property address, and a clear description of included parking, storage, furnishings, or shared spaces.
• Term and rent — state whether the tenancy is fixed-term or periodic, when it begins, when rent is due, accepted payment methods, and what happens at the end of the stated term.
• Deposits and charges — identify each deposit, prepaid amount, fee, and late-payment term separately so it can be compared with the current Tennessee rule that applies to the property.
• Utilities, maintenance, and access — allocate day-to-day responsibilities without attempting to transfer a nonwaivable landlord or tenant duty.
• Rules and addenda — document pets, smoking, parking, guests, insurance, association rules, and any federal, state, local, or property-specific disclosure that applies.
• Notices and signatures — provide reliable notice addresses and retain a complete signed copy for every party.

State and local checks before signing

Tennessee requires both a county URLTA classification and a local-code review, with a specific preemption constraint in URLTA counties. Confirm the property address and the current local text before signing.

Federal requirements can also apply. For example, most pre-1978 housing requires the federal lead-based-paint disclosure process. Manufactured housing, short-term occupancy, owner-occupied rooms, subsidized housing, and rent-regulated property may follow a different legal path from an ordinary residential lease.

Use the official source linked below to confirm the current statewide text. For a disputed tenancy, an eviction or termination, unusual fees, regulated housing, or a property in a city with additional renter protections, obtain advice about the specific facts before relying on a template.

How to use the free Tennessee template

1. Download the Tennessee PDF when you want a printable blank, or the Word file when you want to edit the text electronically.
2. Complete the parties, property, rent, term, deposit, utilities, maintenance, access, and notice fields.
3. Attach the disclosures and property-specific addenda that actually apply.
4. Compare the completed document with the current official source and local requirements.
5. Give every party the same final version to review before anyone signs, then retain the fully executed copy.

The guided builder is available when you prefer questions and a generated preview. Whether you use the free template or the builder, confirm the final agreement against the property and the parties' actual arrangement.