Free Tennessee Security Deposit Itemization
The itemized deduction statement required under Tenn. Code Ann. §66-28-301 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). Hold the deposit in a separate account, prepare a written itemized list of damages, and honor the sixty-day retention window. Generate a state-aligned itemization with each deduction described and the refund balance auto-calculated.
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Tennessee Security Deposit Itemization — Step-by-Step Guide
Covers Tenn. Code Ann. §66-28-301 — the separate-account rule, the written itemized list of damages, the tenant’s right to be present at inspection, and the sixty-day retention window
A Tennessee Security Deposit Itemization is the written itemized list of damages a landlord must prepare under Tenn. Code Ann. §66-28-301 — part of Tennessee’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) — before applying any portion of a security deposit to charges. It is the line-item accounting: the original deposit, each deduction with a specific description and dollar amount, and the resulting refund balance owed to the tenant (or the balance the tenant still owes). The statute conditions the landlord’s right to retain any part of the deposit on keeping the money in a separate account and furnishing this written list, so the itemization is the document that stands between a defensible retention and a forfeiture. This generator builds that list, itemizes each deduction, and calculates the refund balance automatically both on the page and inside the PDF.
Key Takeaways — Tennessee Deposit Itemization at a Glance
- Prepare a written itemized list of the ascertainable damage that is the basis for each charge (Tenn. Code Ann. §66-28-301).
- Hold the deposit in a separate account and disclose its location at lease signing (§66-28-301(a)).
- Inspect on the day the tenant vacates or within four calendar days; the tenant may be present if the landlord noticed the right within five days of the tenant’s written intent to vacate.
- Skip the separate account or the written list and you may forfeit the right to keep any deposit.
- Send notice of any refund to the tenant’s last known address; no response within sixty days lets you retain it. Deduct only damage beyond normal wear and tear.
Generate Your Tennessee Security Deposit Itemization
Complete the form below to generate a Tennessee-aligned Security Deposit Itemization ready to print, sign, and send. Enter the original deposit, itemize each deduction with a specific description, and the generator calculates the refund balance — or the balance the tenant still owes if the deductions exceed the deposit — both on the page and inside the PDF. The itemization is the statutory list of damages; pair it with any refund and a short cover letter, and send the package to the tenant’s last known or reasonably determinable address. If you need the transmittal letter that accompanies the refund check, use the companion Tennessee Security Deposit Return Letter; this page produces the line-item accounting that letter refers to.
Every Deduction Must Be Specific
Vague entries such as “cleaning — two hundred dollars” or “repairs — four hundred dollars” invite challenge. Tenn. Code Ann. §66-28-301 ties any charge to a written list of the ascertainable damage and the estimated cost to repair it. Each line should describe what was damaged, tie it to a location in the unit, and be backed by receipts, invoices, or dated photographs. Generic categories without descriptions weaken the corresponding deduction and can undermine the entire itemization.
1. Parties
2. Tenancy
3. Original Deposit
4. Itemized Deductions (the statutory list of damages)
List each deduction with a specific description (what was damaged, where, and the estimated repair cost) and dollar amount. Leave blank rows empty if not needed.
5. Disposition
6. Delivery & Signature
Tennessee’s Distinctive Deposit-Itemization Framework
✓ Tenn. Code Ann. §66-28-301 — What Sets Tennessee Apart
Tennessee does not run its deposit process on a single fixed day count the way many states do. Instead, §66-28-301 links each duty to an event. The landlord must hold the deposit in a separate account used only for deposits, inspect the unit on the day the tenant vacates or within four calendar days after, compile a written itemized list of the presently ascertainable damage with estimated repair costs, and send notice of any refund due to the tenant’s last known or reasonably determinable address.
The most consequential number is the sixty-day retention window: if the landlord sends that notice and receives no response from the tenant within sixty days, the landlord may remove the deposit from the account and retain it. And the statute only reaches counties over seventy-five thousand population under §66-28-102 — elsewhere, the lease and common-law contract principles govern instead. This event-driven structure is why a Tennessee itemization looks different from a California or Florida one.
For the full statutory picture, see the comprehensive Tennessee security deposit laws guide. The itemization is the line-item accounting document; the cover letter that transmits the refund is the Tennessee Security Deposit Return Letter, and the upstream condition record is the Tennessee Move-In/Out Inspection Checklist. Together those three documents form a complete deposit-return package.
What This Itemization Does
A Tennessee Security Deposit Itemization performs three jobs at once, and each is tied to the statute. First, it explains every deduction. The landlord cannot keep any portion of the deposit without setting out, in a written list, what each deduction is for, the dollar amount, and the ascertainable damage that is the basis for the charge. A general statement that “deductions were made for cleaning and damage” is not a list of damages; each line has to stand on its own so the tenant and a court can evaluate whether the charge is for damage that is deductible or for normal wear and tear that is not.
Second, it documents the disposition of the deposit. The itemization records the original deposit, the total deductions, and the refund balance returned to the tenant — or the balance the tenant still owes when the deductions exceed the deposit. Because §66-28-301 makes the landlord’s right to retain contingent on following the correct steps, the itemization plus its supporting receipts and photographs are the record that keeps a retention defensible.
Third, it fits into the statutory timeline. Tennessee’s process is event-driven rather than deadline-driven: inspect on the vacate day or within four calendar days, prepare the written list, and send notice of any refund to the tenant’s last known or reasonably determinable address. From the sending of that notice, the sixty-day retention clock begins. The itemization is the document that carries the notice of any refund and the list of damages together, which is why keeping proof of mailing matters.
The form above produces a complete itemized statement with a built-in deductions calculator, automatic balance computation in both the refund and the balance-owed directions, the required statutory references, and a delivery block. The remainder of this guide walks through the legal framework, the deductible-versus-non-deductible standard, the documentation requirements, and the mistakes that turn a colorable retention into a forfeiture.
Tennessee Legal Framework — §66-28-301
The Tennessee security deposit framework is governed by Tenn. Code Ann. §66-28-301, one of the more procedurally exacting statutes in Tennessee residential law. Several parts of the section do the heavy lifting, and it is worth reading them the way a court would, because the itemization has to satisfy each.
The separate-account requirement
Subsection (a) requires a landlord who takes a security deposit to deposit all tenants’ security deposits in an account used only for that purpose, at any bank or other lending institution subject to state or federal regulation, and to disclose the location of that account to the tenant at the time the tenant signs the lease and submits the deposit (the landlord is not required to give the account number). This is not a formality. Commingling the deposit with operating cash is a direct violation, and it is the first of the two steps that, if skipped, can strip the landlord of the right to retain any portion of the deposit.
The inspection and the tenant’s right to be present
The statute contemplates a shared inspection. Within five days after the landlord receives written notice of the tenant’s intent to vacate, the landlord may give the tenant notice of the tenant’s right to be present at the inspection of the premises. The inspection is conducted on the day the tenant completely vacates or within four calendar days of vacating. If the tenant requests it, the landlord and tenant inspect together and compile a comprehensive list of any presently ascertainable damage that is the basis for a charge, along with the estimated dollar cost of repair, and both parties sign that list. A tenant who receives the notice and chooses not to accompany the landlord generally forfeits the right to contest the landlord’s itemized damages, while the landlord still prepares the written list. A jointly signed list is powerful evidence and heads off most later disputes.
The written itemized list of damages
Whether or not a joint inspection occurs, the charges the landlord asserts must be reflected in a written itemized list. Each entry should name the specific item of damage, tie it to a location in the unit, and state the estimated repair cost. Attach the receipts, invoices, and dated photographs that support each figure. This written list is exactly what the form on this page produces; it is the document §66-28-301 treats as the basis for any charge against the deposit.
The forfeiture provision
The enforcement lever is direct: no landlord is entitled to retain any portion of a security deposit if the deposit was not deposited in the separate account required by subsection (a). The written list of damages is the companion condition — charges that are not set out in a written list are not properly documented. In practice, missing either the separate-account requirement or the written-itemized-list requirement can forfeit the landlord’s right to keep any of the deposit, which effectively returns the full amount to the tenant regardless of whether the underlying damage was real.
The notice of refund and the sixty-day window
Where the tenant leaves owing no rent and a refund is due, the landlord sends notice of the amount of any refund to the tenant’s last known or reasonably determinable address. If the landlord receives no response from the tenant within sixty days from the sending of that notification, the landlord may remove the deposit from the account and retain it, free from any claim of the tenant. Because the window runs from the sending of the notice, the date and method of mailing matter.
Why the “no fixed deadline” point matters. Because Tennessee does not impose a single numeric return deadline, the safe posture is to move quickly and document each step. Inspect within four days, prepare the written itemized list, and send notice of any refund promptly. Speed plus a clean paper trail is what protects a Tennessee landlord — not counting to a magic number that the statute does not actually set.
When and How to Deliver the Itemization
The event-driven timeline
The Tennessee timeline starts on the date the tenant surrenders possession — typically when the tenant returns the keys, completes a final walk-through, or otherwise relinquishes control of the unit. From there, the landlord inspects on the vacate day or within four calendar days, prepares the written itemized list of damages, and sends notice of any refund due to the tenant’s last known or reasonably determinable address. Unlike the fixed 15-, 21-, or 30-day deadlines used in other states, Tennessee’s sequence is defined by events, and the one hard number that follows is the sixty-day retention window measured from the sending of the notice.
Method of delivery
The safest practical method is certified mail with return receipt requested. First-class mail can carry the notice, but it provides no proof of the send date, and the sixty-day retention window runs from that send date. Certified mail with return receipt gives a dated, verifiable record that the notice of any refund was sent to the tenant’s last known or reasonably determinable address. Personal delivery works if you can document the tenant’s actual receipt; leaving the statement at the unit door without confirmation is not reliable delivery.
Delivery address
Deliver to the tenant’s forwarding address if the tenant provided one. If no forwarding address was given, deliver to the tenant’s last known or reasonably determinable address — which is often the rented unit itself. The landlord is not excused from the process because the tenant failed to leave a current address; send to the last known address by certified mail, and the documented mailing satisfies the delivery expectation while the tenant bears the consequence of not providing a forwarding address.
What to do if you discover damage after delivery
Inspect thoroughly before issuing the itemization. If the landlord delivers a statement and then discovers additional damage, a supplementary deduction is difficult to sustain unless the condition was concealed or could not reasonably have been discovered during the inspection window. The practical remedy is to complete the inspection carefully — including behind appliances, in closets, and in less-obvious spaces — so the written list is complete the first time.
Categories of Deductible Expenses
Tennessee limits deductions to amounts the tenant actually owes: unpaid rent, physical damage to the unit caused by the tenant or the tenant’s guests beyond ordinary wear and tear, and other lease-authorized amounts. Deductions outside these categories are not permitted, no matter how the lease is written.
1. Unpaid rent and lease-authorized amounts
Rent the tenant owes but did not pay can be deducted from the deposit. Document it with the lease (the rent amount), a rent ledger (what was paid and what was missed), and any late notices issued during the tenancy. Late fees can be deducted only if the lease specifies them and they are reasonable rather than punitive; courts scrutinize late-fee provisions and routinely strike fees that operate as penalties. Utility charges the tenant owes under the lease belong in the same category.
2. Damage beyond normal wear and tear
Specific damage attributable to the tenant — large holes, broken fixtures, pet damage, water damage from negligence, missing items — can be deducted. The landlord must distinguish damage from normal wear; the standard is covered in detail in the wear-versus-damage section below. Each repair line requires a description, an amount, and, for defensibility, a receipt for completed work or a third-party estimate for work not yet performed.
3. Cleaning to restore start-of-tenancy condition
This is the single most contested category. Routine end-of-tenancy cleaning that returns the unit to ordinary clean condition is generally not deductible — that is part of ordinary use, and a tenant who leaves the unit reasonably clean should not be charged for standard turnover cleaning. Cleaning beyond ordinary — heavy grease accumulation, pet-odor remediation, mold cleanup, biohazard cleaning, hoarding cleanout — is deductible because it restores the unit to its start-