Tennessee Laws Regarding the Termination of a Lease
A lease agreement is a legally binding contract and the state of Tennessee treats it as such. Because of this, terminating a lease in Tennessee may only be performed under circumstances described by the Tennessee Landlord-Tenant Act. If tenants attempt to illegally terminate their leases, they may be found liable for back rent, while landlords who terminate a lease without proper procedure or justifiable cause may be forced to cover tenants' moving expenses and differences in rent.
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Early Termination
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In normal cases, once a tenant leases a property, the lease may not be terminated prematurely unless one party proves noncompliance by the other party. Noncompliance may be unpaid rent, essential repairs to heat, sewage, water or weatherproofing left untended by a landlord, or abuse of the property by tenants. If other contractual agreements in the lease aren't met, such as owning unauthorized pets, exceeding the allowable number of unrelated persons in the home or unauthorized subletting, may also void a rental agreement and allow a landlord to terminate the lease.
Notice of Termination
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If a landlord chooses to terminate a lease based on violations of the lease or unpaid rent, he must provide the tenants with advance notice of the lease's termination in writing. If rent is collected on a weekly basis, termination notices must be served at least 10 days in advance of the tenant's last day in the property. Month-to-month leases require at least a full month's prior notice before the lease may be terminated.
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Acts of Violence
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A landlord may terminate a lease if a tenant, or a person in the property at the permission of the tenant, engages in a violent act that threatens to harm other tenants, the property or the landlord. Landlords must provide written notice of termination for these causes three days in advance of the lease's termination date. Tenants who believe they are being unfairly targeted by their landlord using this clause may seek an injunction against the termination through a court of law.
Abandonment
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If tenants leave the property for more than 30 consecutive days without providing their landlord with an explanation of their absence and fail to pay their rent, the property is considered abandoned, and the lease may be legally terminated immediately and without written notice. In this case, the landlord is free to enter the premises as needed, remove tenants' personal property -- which must be stored and disposed of as outlined by Tennessee state law -- and lease the property to new tenants.
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