Tennessee permits landlords to pass through utility, trash, pest, and capital-improvement fees if disclosed in the lease; Nashville imposes no local cap because TCA 66-35-101 preempts municipal limits on rent or fees.
Davidson County tenants frequently see RUBS (Ratio Utility Billing System) charges, trash valet fees, and pest-control surcharges layered on top of base rent. Tennessee URLTA does not regulate the size of these charges as long as they are disclosed in the written lease before signing. Capital-improvement pass-throughs (e.g., new HVAC, roof) are also lawful if the lease permits. Unlike Los Angeles or Berkeley, Nashville has no rent stabilization framework requiring landlord petitions for pass-throughs. Tenants' main protection is the URLTA requirement that all charges be specified up front; surprise fees added mid-lease are unenforceable.
Undisclosed mid-lease fees are unenforceable and recoverable in General Sessions Court; landlords also forfeit late-fee enforcement on disputed pass-throughs under URLTA disclosure principles in TCA 66-28-201.
Nashville, TN
Tennessee imposes no statutory cap on security deposit amount, but the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires deposits to be held in a separate...
Nashville, TN
Nashville does not have rent control. Tennessee state law (T.C.A. § 66-35-102) preempts local governments from enacting rent control or rent stabilization or...
See how Nashville's pass-through charges rules stack up against other locations.
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