Tennessee Subletting & assignment

Can a tenant sublet an apartment in Tennessee?

A full-text search of official Tenn. Code Ann. ch. 66-28 (the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) found no general rule on whether a tenant may sublet or assign a residential lease, or when a landlord must consent. That is a scoped none_found finding on a general consent rule, not a finding of no restriction. Chapter 66-28 applies only in counties with a population of more than 75,000 according to the 2010 federal census, and it has the other application and preemption limits in § 66-28-102. Related provisions do address unauthorized subtenants and a landlord who subleases units. In counties where chapter 66-28 applies, § 66-28-517(a)(4) allows a landlord to terminate a rental agreement within three days from the date written notice is received by the tenant if the tenant or any other person on the premises with the tenant's consent refuses to vacate after entering as an unauthorized subtenant or other unauthorized occupant, subject to the notice, injunction, essential-services, good-faith, and domestic-abuse rules in the rest of § 66-28-517. Section 66-28-107 requires a landlord to register dwelling units that the landlord owns, leases, or subleases, but only in a county with a metropolitan form of government and a population in excess of 500,000 according to the 2000 federal census or a later census. Outside chapter 66-28 counties, § 66-7-109(f) makes three days' notice sufficient to evict an unauthorized subtenant or other unauthorized occupant who refuses to vacate, and § 66-7-109(g) states that nothing in § 66-7-109 applies to rental property in a county governed by chapter 66-28. The lease terms and any local law that is not preempted may still apply.

Verified Source: Tenn. Code Ann. ch. 66-28 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act); § 66-7-109 (full-text search of ch. 66-28, plus § 66-7-109) · last checked 2026-11-12