If you own or manage a residential rental in Tennessee, your tenant should not have to guess who owns the home, who manages it, or where to send an important notice.
TCA § 66-28-302 requires applicable Tennessee landlords to provide written owner and agent information to tenants at or before the beginning of the tenancy. The disclosure must identify the managing agent and the owner, or an authorized agent, who can receive notices, demands, and service of process. The information must also remain current.
This requirement is especially important for Clarksville-area property owners and military families who receive PCS orders, move out of state, and keep their Tennessee home as a rental.
TCA § 66-28-302 owner-disclosure line: Tenants must be told, in writing, the true name and address of the property owner or an authorized management agent, along with the contact information for the person or company authorized to manage the premises and receive notices.
This article provides general educational information, not legal advice. Haus Realty & Management is not a law firm. Ask a qualified Tennessee attorney to review your specific lease, ownership structure, and compliance questions.
What does TCA § 66-28-302 require?
For residential rental agreements covered by Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, the landlord, or a person authorized to enter into the rental agreement, must provide required information to the tenant in writing at or before the commencement of the tenancy.
The written disclosure generally needs to identify:
- The name of the agent authorized to manage the property
- The agent’s address
- The owner’s name and address, or the name and address of an authorized person or agent acting for the owner
- The person or agent authorized to accept service of process
- The person or agent authorized to receive notices and demands
- Business-hours contact information
- A 24-hour emergency telephone number, if different
- An office email address and maintenance email address, when applicable
- A maintenance telephone number, maintenance email address, or online landlord-tenant communication portal
The statute also requires this information to be kept current. If the property changes ownership, the management company changes, or a contact method becomes outdated, the disclosure process should be reviewed and updated.
The current requirements were amended through Tennessee legislation effective January 1, 2025, for applicable agreements entered into on or after that date. You can review the official Tennessee General Assembly bill language in the enrolled HB 1814 document.
Why must tenants know the actual owner or authorized agent?
A tenant needs a reliable way to communicate with the person or business responsible for the rental home.
A property management brand, a property nickname, or an employee’s first name may not provide enough information. The lease or accompanying disclosure should clearly identify the legal owner or the authorized agent who can act for that owner.
For example, a Clarksville rental may be owned by:
- An individual who moved to another state
- A limited liability company
- A trust
- A partnership
- A family investment group
- A military service member who received orders to another duty station
In each situation, the tenant should be able to determine who owns the property and who is authorized to handle management, notices, demands, and formal legal service.
For active Tennessee lease documentation, the safest operational practice is to include the true name and complete address of the property owner or authorized management agent rather than relying only on a trade name or general company branding.
Where should the disclosure appear in the lease?
The required information may be included directly in the lease or in a separate written disclosure delivered at or before the tenancy begins.
Including it in the lease is often the clearest approach because the tenant can find the information in the same document that establishes the rental relationship. A separate addendum may also work when it is properly completed, delivered, and retained with the lease file.
A clearly labeled section near the beginning of the lease or in the contact-information portion should identify:
-
Property owner
Legal name and complete mailing address. -
Managing agent
Company or individual name, office address, business-hours phone number, and email address. -
Notices and service of process
Name and address of the person or agent authorized to receive notices, demands, and service of process. -
Maintenance communication
Routine maintenance instructions, emergency contact information, maintenance email address, or tenant-portal instructions. -
Updates
A process for notifying the tenant if ownership, management, or contact information changes.
Make sure the information is consistent across the lease, move-in instructions, tenant portal, maintenance materials, and formal notices. Conflicting contact information can create unnecessary confusion when a tenant needs help quickly.
How does the rule affect military owners after a PCS?
Military owners often face a rapid transition. You may receive orders, move to another installation, and need to convert your former home into a rental within a short period of time.
That transition does not remove your responsibility to maintain accurate tenant-facing information.
If you retain ownership after a PCS, your Tennessee tenant still needs to know:
- Your legal name or the authorized agent acting for you
- How to reach the managing agent
- Where formal notices should be delivered
- How to report routine and emergency maintenance
- Which company or individual is responsible for day-to-day management
An out-of-state mailing address is not inherently a problem. The practical concern is whether the tenant has a dependable and legally appropriate contact in Tennessee or elsewhere who can receive communications and coordinate the property.
Haus expert perspective: Randy Whetsell
Randy Whetsell, Principal Broker at Haus Realty & Management, explains the company’s approach for owners who leave Tennessee on military orders:
“When a Tennessee owner receives PCS orders and keeps the home as a rental, we focus on making the transition clear for both the owner and the tenant. The lease documents identify the owner or authorized agent, the management contact, and the maintenance communication process. We also review the file when management responsibility or contact information changes so the tenant is not left trying to locate the right person.”
For owners, this process can create a cleaner separation between the property’s ownership and its day-to-day management. You may be living several states away, but the tenant should still have a clear, documented path for rent questions, repair requests, notices, and urgent issues.
Haus provides Tennessee and Kentucky property management services through HausRentalsTN.com, including leasing, tenant communication, maintenance coordination, inspections, and owner reporting.
What happens if you skip the disclosure?
Failing to provide the required information creates practical and legal risk.
Under the statute, a person who fails to make the required disclosure may be treated as an agent of each person who is a landlord for purposes of receiving service of process and receiving notices and demands.
That can create several problems:
- A tenant may not know where to deliver a formal notice
- Important communications may be sent to an outdated address
- A management company may be treated as an authorized contact even when its role was not properly documented
- Ownership and management records may conflict
- A tenant may request missing information in writing
- The owner may have difficulty proving that required information was delivered on time
The issue is not limited to whether a tenant can call someone about a leaking faucet. The statute addresses formal legal communications as well as routine management information. A complete written disclosure helps establish who is responsible for receiving those communications.
A Tennessee owner-disclosure checklist
Before signing a new lease or placing a home under management, review the following:
- Confirm that the property is in a county where the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies.
- Use the owner’s true legal name or identify the authorized agent acting for the owner.
- Include a complete mailing address.
- Identify the managing agent and management address.
- Provide business-hours contact information.
- Provide a 24-hour emergency contact when different.
- List office and maintenance email addresses when applicable.
- Explain how tenants submit maintenance requests.
- Include tenant-portal instructions if a portal is used.
- Identify where notices, demands, and service of process should be directed.
- Deliver the information in writing at or before the tenancy begins.
- Review the disclosure after a sale, management change, address change, or contact update.
- Retain proof that the lease and disclosures were delivered.
Does this matter if you are deciding whether to rent or sell?
For some military owners, the disclosure question comes up while comparing the cost of keeping a home as a rental with selling it before or after a PCS.
Interest rates can affect that decision, although mortgage rates do not change the requirements of TCA § 66-28-302. Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey reported an average 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 6.95% on September 17, 2026. You can review the dated Freddie Mac PMMS rate release or the PMMS archive.
When comparing your options, consider:
- Expected rental income
- Property management fees
- Vacancy risk
- Maintenance and capital expenses
- Insurance and taxes
- Your expected time away from Tennessee
- Your ability to respond to tenant issues
- Potential sale proceeds and transaction costs
- Whether you want to remain a long-distance landlord
Haus’s guide to what Clarksville property management fees may cover in 2026 can help you organize the cost side of that evaluation.
Frequently asked questions
Does TCA § 66-28-302 apply to every Tennessee rental?
The statute operates within Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Coverage can depend on the property’s county and the type of tenancy. Confirm whether your property is covered before relying on a general summary.
Can I use my property manager’s address instead of my home address?
The lease should accurately identify the owner or an authorized agent and provide the required address information. Ask counsel to review your specific ownership and management structure.
Does the owner have to live in Tennessee?
No. An owner may live out of state, including after a military PCS. The tenant still needs current written information identifying the owner or authorized agent and the appropriate management and notice contacts.
Can the disclosure be a separate addendum?
A separate written disclosure may be used if it is delivered at or before the commencement of the tenancy and retained with the lease documentation. Make sure the lease clearly references the addendum.
Is Haus a law firm?
No. Haus Realty & Management provides real estate and property management services, not legal advice. Owners should consult a qualified Tennessee attorney about a specific lease, ownership entity, disclosure, notice, or landlord-tenant dispute.
Get a rental-rate and management evaluation
If you are leaving Tennessee on orders, keeping your Clarksville home, or reviewing an existing lease for owner-disclosure issues, a professional management review can help you identify the information and processes that need attention.
Get a rental-rate and management evaluation from Haus Realty & Management. Our experienced team can review your property’s rental position, management needs, and transition from owner-occupied home to professionally managed Tennessee rental.
