Free Tennessee Room Rental Agreement Template

A Tennessee room rental agreement is the written contract for renting one bedroom in a shared home. Security deposits are governed by section 66-28-301 of the Tennessee Code, within the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

That section is built around a single idea: the condition of the room gets recorded at move-out by both people together, and what they sign then decides what can be argued about later.

Almost every duty in a Tennessee room rental agreement attaches to the deposit and the inspection that closes it out.

The Deposit Goes in Its Own Account

A landlord requiring a security deposit before occupancy must deposit all tenants’ deposits in an account used only for that purpose, at any bank or lending institution regulated by the state or by an agency of the United States government.

The Tenant Must Be Told Where That Account Is

At the time the tenant signs the lease and hands over the deposit, the landlord must tell them the location of that account. The landlord does not have to give out the account number.

The Move-Out Inspection, and Why the Signatures Matter

When the landlord asks the tenant to vacate, or within five days of receiving the tenant’s written notice of intent to leave, the landlord may notify the tenant of their right to be present at the inspection. The landlord may require it to happen after the tenant has completely vacated and is ready to hand back every means of access, and it must take place on the day the tenant moves out or within four calendar days after.

Where the tenant asks for a mutual inspection, the two of them inspect together and compile a comprehensive listing of any presently ascertainable damage and the estimated dollar cost of repairing it. Both sign that listing.

Then comes the part worth reading twice. Those signatures are conclusive evidence of the accuracy of the listing. A tenant who disagrees with an item should refuse to sign and state specifically in writing which items they dissent from.

Failing to turn up carries its own cost. Where the landlord gave written notice of the right to be present and the tenant scheduled an inspection but did not attend, the tenant waives the right to contest damages found at that inspection — but only if the rental agreement sets out that waiver.

When There Is No Right to Inspect

The right disappears where the tenant vacated without giving written notice, abandoned the room, was judicially removed, never responded to the landlord’s notice about a mutual inspection, failed to appear at the arranged time, never requested a mutual inspection, or is otherwise inaccessible to the landlord.

Unclaimed Refunds After Sixty Days

Where the tenant leaves owing nothing and a refund is due, the landlord must send notice of the refund amount to the tenant’s last known or reasonably determinable address. If no response arrives within sixty days, the landlord may take the deposit out of the account and keep it, free of any claim by the tenant.

Tip: These periods are statutory and can change, so confirm the current text of section 66-28-301 before relying on one.

Only where both statutory steps were followed. No landlord is entitled to retain any portion of a deposit if it was not held in a dedicated account as required, and a listing of damages was not provided as required.

Get either wrong and the right to withhold goes with it.

The reverse constraint falls on the tenant. Someone who disputes the accuracy of the final damage listing may bring an action in a circuit or general sessions court, but the claim is limited to the items they specifically dissented from. Anything signed off without objection cannot be recovered later.

There is also a window for damage nobody spotted on the day. A landlord may still recover contractual damages and any additional physical damage found after the inspection, but only where it was discovered before the earlier of two dates: thirty days after the tenant vacated or abandoned the room, or seven days after a new tenant takes possession. In a house that re-lets quickly, the second of those usually arrives first.

1. Put the agreement in writing, and include the waiver wording if the landlord wants the no-show rule to apply.
2. Tell the tenant where the deposit account is held when they sign and pay.
3. Give written notice of an intent to vacate, which starts the landlord’s five-day window to offer an inspection.
4. Request a mutual inspection and attend it.
5. Read the listing before signing. Dissent in writing, item by item, on anything disputed.
6. Leave a reliable forwarding address, and reply to any refund notice well inside sixty days.

For a Tennessee room rental agreement, the terms worth setting down are:

• The deposit amount and the location of the account holding it
• The waiver wording for a scheduled inspection the tenant misses
• Which bedroom is private and which areas are shared
• How utilities are divided between housemates
• Guest rules, quiet hours, and how the kitchen is shared