AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 66-28-107, relative to landlord registration.
Summary
SB0592 amends Tennessee’s landlord registration law in Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28-107. The bill would allow landlords of properties with five or more dwelling units to file a single registration form for the entire property, so long as the required information is identical for all units on that property. This is a procedural change intended to simplify registration for larger multifamily properties and reduce duplicative filings.
The bill also revises the local-option framework for landlord registration. It clarifies that the section applies only to municipal, metropolitan, or county governments that adopt it by ordinance or resolution, and it requires those local enactments to identify the types of dwelling units subject to registration and set the registration fee, within the existing statutory cap. A local government already subject to the section on or before June 30, 2025 would not need to reenact an ordinance or resolution under the new language. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would modify landlord registration procedures statewide for local governments that have adopted Tennessee’s landlord registration statute, easing compliance for owners of larger multifamily properties and standardizing how a single property may be registered. It would also affect municipal, metropolitan, and county governments by clarifying their authority and obligations when adopting landlord registration requirements, including fee-setting and the categories of dwelling units covered. The bill would amend TCA § 66-28-107 and take effect July 1, 2025.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill faced significant opposition in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, where it failed by a 1-7 vote on March 18, 2025. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the vote indicates limited support among committee members. Overall, the bill appears to have been viewed skeptically at the committee stage rather than broadly embraced.
Contention
The main points of contention likely centered on landlord registration policy and local government authority. Supporters would likely favor the administrative simplification for landlords with five or more units and the clarification of local adoption procedures, while opponents may have been concerned about weakening local flexibility, altering registration enforcement, or changing the scope of local landlord registration programs. Because there are no transcripts, the specific objections of individual members are not recorded, but the lopsided committee vote indicates substantial disagreement with the proposal.