Landlord-Tenant Problems
Below you will find a variety of resources and forms that provide helpful information on how to address landlord-tenant problems. You will also find details on how to seek assistance or aid from a lawyer, if necessary.
Your Rights and Duties as a Renter (Booklets)
When renting property, it is important to know your rights and options before you move in, while you're living there, and when you move out. During your tenancy, landlord-tenant disputes can be caused by many different issues including lease agreements, repairs, rent, eviction, and more. Knowing your rights will help you handle these issues more easily.
Know Your Legal Rights and Duties
In this pamphlet from Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands, you can find helpful information about the rights you have when you are renting property. You can reference this resource if you live in the following counties: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner, Washington, Williamson and Wilson.
Know Your Rights and Duties as a Renter
For all Tennessee counties not listed above, you can reference the above pamphlet to learn more about rural renter rights.
Chat Bot:
Renter Defender https://www.renterdefender.org/
Our Renter Defender bot follows the same question and answer procedure to identify the users' specific landlord/tenant issue(s) and it directs the users to the necessary resources. Those resources may include: information about evictions, help paying utility bills, or a letter to the landlord asking for needed repairs.
Need assistance paying for your utilities?
Click on the link below to learn about financial assistance that's available to low income households for their home energy costs.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Videos:
The following videos from Legal Aid of East Tennessee provides tips on what tenants should do before moving into a new property. This information is available in both English and Spanish.
Renters’ Guide – 5 Things You Should Do BEFORE You Move In
Guía para Inquilinos - 5 Cosas Que Debe Hacer ANTES de Mudarse Adentro
Forms:
Standard Court Forms for all of Tennessee
At this link, you can find approved court forms for all counties within Tennessee.
Legal Advice:
If you are in Tennessee, the website, Free Legal Answers, allows you to ask a lawyer for help with a legal issue at no cost. It is fast and easy, and all you need is a computer. This is a FREE service for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
How it works:
- You will answer a few questions to see if you qualify for their service. If you qualify, you will have the option to create an account.
- If you are eligible, you can ask their volunteer attorneys your non-criminal question.
- Once your question receives a response, you will get an email. You will need to sign into the website to read your response and ask any additional questions.
Visit https://tn.freelegalanswers.org/ to sign up.
