Tennessee 14-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit (URLTA) / Lease-Controlled Notice (Non-URLTA)

TENNESSEE 14-DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR QUIT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Header and Recipient Block
2. Statutory Predicate
3. Identification of Premises and Tenancy
4. Itemization of Rent Due
5. Demand to Pay or Quit
6. Acceptable Methods of Payment
7. Consequences of Non-Compliance
8. Tenant Rights Reservation
9. Service Information
10. Landlord Signature Block
11. Certificate of Service
12. Tennessee Practice Notes
13. Sources and References

1. HEADER AND RECIPIENT BLOCK

STATE OF TENNESSEE

[COUNTY NAME] COUNTY

14-DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR QUIT — RESIDENTIAL TENANCY

(Issued under T.C.A. § 66-28-505(a) — URLTA County)

2. STATUTORY PREDICATE

TO THE TENANT(S) AND ALL OTHER OCCUPANTS:

This Notice is served pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28-505(a), a part of the Tennessee Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act ("URLTA"), T.C.A. § 66-28-101 et seq. The premises identified below are located in [COUNTY] County, Tennessee, a county whose population by the most recent federal decennial census exceeds seventy-five thousand (75,000), and URLTA therefore applies to the tenancy.

3. IDENTIFICATION OF PREMISES AND TENANCY

3.1. Premises. The residential dwelling unit located at [FULL ADDRESS, UNIT NUMBER, CITY, COUNTY, TN ZIP] (the "Premises").

3.2. Rental Agreement. Written rental agreement (the "Lease") dated [__/__/____] between [LANDLORD NAME] ("Landlord") and [TENANT NAME(S)] ("Tenant(s)").

3.3. Term. ☐ Fixed term ending [__/__/____] ☐ Month-to-month ☐ Week-to-week ☐ Other: [________].

3.4. Monthly Rent. $[________] per month, due on the [__] day of each month.

3.5. Mobile Home Park. ☐ The Premises ARE part of a mobile home park subject to T.C.A. § 66-28-201 et seq. ☐ The Premises are NOT in a mobile home park.

4. ITEMIZATION OF RENT DUE

You are in material noncompliance with the Lease for failure to pay rent and other amounts owed. The amounts presently due and unpaid are itemized as follows:

5. DEMAND TO PAY OR QUIT

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that you must do ONE of the following within FOURTEEN (14) DAYS after receipt of this Notice:

(a) PAY IN FULL the total amount of $[__________] specified in Section 4 above; OR

(b) VACATE AND DELIVER UP the Premises to Landlord, including all keys, garage-door openers, mail keys, and access devices.

IF YOU FAIL to do either, this Notice operates pursuant to T.C.A. § 66-28-505(a) to terminate your rental agreement on the fifteenth (15th) day after your receipt of this Notice, and Landlord will commence a detainer warrant action in the General Sessions Court of [COUNTY] County under T.C.A. § 29-18-101 et seq. seeking possession of the Premises, all unpaid rent, court costs, attorney's fees (where authorized), and a writ of possession.

6. ACCEPTABLE METHODS OF PAYMENT

Payment must be made in one of the following forms (cash is not required to be accepted unless the Lease so provides):

☐ Certified check ☐ Money order ☐ Cashier's check ☐ Electronic funds transfer ☐ Online portal: [URL] ☐ Other (per Lease): [________________________________]

Payments must be delivered to: [NAME, FULL PAYMENT ADDRESS, CITY, TN ZIP].

7. CONSEQUENCES OF NON-COMPLIANCE

7.1. Termination. If you do not pay or vacate within fourteen (14) days, the rental agreement terminates by operation of T.C.A. § 66-28-505(a).

7.2. Detainer Warrant. Landlord intends to file a detainer warrant in the General Sessions Court of [COUNTY] County, Tennessee, under T.C.A. § 29-18-101 et seq. The hearing will be set no less than six (6) days from service of the warrant pursuant to T.C.A. § 29-18-117.

7.3. Money Judgment. Landlord will seek a money judgment for unpaid rent, late charges, attorney's fees (where authorized by Lease or statute), court costs, and damages.

7.4. Writ of Possession. Upon entry of judgment for Landlord, a writ of possession may issue under T.C.A. § 29-18-126 directing the sheriff to remove you and restore possession to Landlord. T.C.A. § 29-18-130 governs immediate execution of the writ and bond pending appeal.

7.5. Credit and Rental History. A detainer judgment may appear in tenant-screening databases (e.g., RentGrow, AppFolio, TransUnion SmartMove) for years.

8. TENANT RIGHTS RESERVATION

Nothing in this Notice limits or waives any right available to Tenant, including, without limitation:

• The right to assert the implied warranty of habitability under T.C.A. § 66-28-304 if the Landlord has failed to maintain the Premises in a fit and habitable condition.
• The right to be free from retaliatory eviction under T.C.A. § 66-28-514 (no termination, rent increase, or service decrease for tenant complaints, code-enforcement contacts, or organizing).
• The right to be free from housing discrimination under the Tennessee Human Rights Act, T.C.A. § 4-21-601 et seq., and the federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.
• The right to a hearing in General Sessions Court before any writ of possession may issue. Self-help by the Landlord is unlawful under T.C.A. § 66-28-504 and exposes Landlord to actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees.
• The right to apply for emergency rental assistance or contact a legal-aid program. See Practice Notes (Section 12).

9. SERVICE INFORMATION

This Notice is being served on Tenant by the following method(s):

☐ Personal delivery to Tenant on [__/__/____] at [TIME] [AM/PM]
☐ Delivery to person of suitable age and discretion residing at the Premises (Name: [________]) on [__/__/____]
☐ Posting on the front door of the Premises on [__/__/____] AND mailing by U.S. first-class mail with certificate of mailing AND U.S. certified mail, return receipt requested, on [__/__/____], to the Premises address
☐ Other (specify): [________________________________]

10. LANDLORD SIGNATURE BLOCK

Executed this [__] day of [MONTH], 2026.

Landlord / Authorized Agent:

By: [________________________________]

Print Name: [________________________________]

Title: [Owner / Property Manager / Agent]

Address: [________________________________]

Phone: [________________________________]

Email: [________________________________]

11. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, [NAME OF SERVER], hereby certify that on [__/__/____], I served the foregoing 14-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit upon the Tenant(s) named above by the method(s) checked in Section 9, and the foregoing is true and correct under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Tennessee.

Signature: [________________________________]

Print Name: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

12. TENNESSEE PRACTICE NOTES

12.1. URLTA Counties (currently 17, subject to census updates). Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner, Washington, Williamson, Wilson. T.C.A. § 66-28-201. Verify against the most recent federal census; the 2025 Vintage Census Bureau estimates and the 2030 decennial census may add or remove counties.

12.2. Non-URLTA Counties. Statewide outside the 17 URLTA counties, T.C.A. § 66-28-505 does not apply. Common practice is to follow the lease's notice-and-cure provision; T.C.A. § 66-7-109 supplies a 30-day default for material lease default. Some judges require some form of pre-suit notice; check local custom.

12.3. Memphis / Shelby County. Memphis ranks among the highest eviction-rate metros in the United States. Shelby County General Sessions Court Civil Division (140 Adams Avenue, Memphis) hears detainer warrants on a rapid docket. Pro-bono and reduced-fee assistance is available through Memphis Area Legal Services (901-523-8822) and the Memphis Bar Association.

12.4. Nashville / Davidson County. Davidson County General Sessions Court Division VIII handles detainer dockets. The L.E.G.A.C.Y. Housing Resource Diversionary Court diverts cases to mediation. The Eviction Right to Counsel (ERTC) program through Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands provides representation; Nashville Hispanic Bar Association co-counsels Spanish-speaking tenants.

12.5. Knoxville / Knox County and Chattanooga / Hamilton County. Knoxville Bar Association Pro Bono Project and Legal Aid of East Tennessee provide tenant assistance.

12.6. Late Fees. T.C.A. § 66-28-201(d) caps late fees at 10% of the past-due rent and bars assessment until rent is at least 5 days past due (URLTA counties).

12.7. Acceptance of Rent After Notice. Acceptance of full rent due waives the notice and reinstates the tenancy. Acceptance of partial rent generally does not waive but creates ambiguity; document any acceptance in writing with reservation-of-rights language.

12.8. Holdover and Section 8 Tenancies. Federally subsidized (HUD, HCV/Section 8, RD) tenancies require additional notice content under federal regulations and the HAP contract; this Notice alone is not sufficient for a HUD-subsidized eviction.

12.9. Retaliation Window. T.C.A. § 66-28-514 creates a presumption of retaliation if the landlord acts within a reasonable time after a tenant's protected complaint; Tennessee courts have looked to a roughly one-year window.

12.10. Self-Help Bar. T.C.A. § 66-28-504 (URLTA) prohibits lockouts, utility shut-offs, and removal of doors/windows. Damages include actual damages, punitive damages, and reasonable attorney's fees. Comparable common-law rule applies in non-URLTA counties.

13. SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• T.C.A. § 66-28-101 et seq. (URLTA): https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-66/chapter-28/
• T.C.A. § 66-28-505: https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-66/chapter-28/part-5/section-66-28-505/
• T.C.A. § 66-28-504 (Unlawful ouster): https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-66/chapter-28/part-5/section-66-28-504/
• T.C.A. § 66-28-514 (Retaliation): https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-66/chapter-28/part-5/section-66-28-514/
• T.C.A. § 66-7-109 (Non-URLTA notice): https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-66/chapter-7/section-66-7-109/
• T.C.A. § 29-18-101 et seq. (Forcible entry and detainer): https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-29/chapter-18/
• Tennessee Courts URLTA Materials: https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/docs/landlordtenant_-_presentation_0.pdf
• Help4TN URLTA Renters: https://www.help4tn.org/senior-services/legal-information/long-term-care-housing/urlta-renters
• Help4TN Non-URLTA Renters: https://www.help4tn.org/senior-services/legal-information/long-term-care-housing/non-urlta-renters
• Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee — ERTC: https://las.org/
• Memphis Area Legal Services: https://malsi.org/
• Tennessee Human Rights Commission — Housing: https://www.tn.gov/humanrights/file-a-discrimination-complaint/housing.html