Cal. Civ. Code § 66-28-507
Absence, nonuse or abandonment by tenant.
Operative Text
(a) If the rental agreement requires the tenant to give notice to the landlord of an anticipated extended absence in excess of seven (7) days as required in § 66-28-404 and the tenant willfully fails to do so, the landlord may recover actual damages from the tenant. (b) During any absence of the tenant in excess of seven (7) days, the landlord may enter the dwelling unit at times reasonably necessary. (c) If the tenant abandons the dwelling unit, the landlord shall use reasonable efforts to rerent the dwelling unit at a fair rental. If the landlord rents the dwelling unit for a term beginning prior to the expiration of the rental agreement, the rental agreement is terminated as of the date of the new tenancy. If the tenancy is from month-to-month, or week-to-week, the term of the rental agreement for this purpose shall be deemed to be a month or a week, as the case may be.
Tennessee Code Ann. § 66-28-507 addresses three related situations involving a tenant's absence or departure from a rental unit. First, if a lease requires advance notice of an extended absence longer than seven days and the tenant deliberately skips that notice, the landlord may seek actual damages. Second, during any absence exceeding seven days, the landlord is permitted to enter the unit at times that are reasonably necessary. Third, if a tenant fully abandons the unit, the landlord is obligated to make reasonable efforts to re-rent it at a fair market rate, and the original lease terminates once a new tenancy begins.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 66-28-507, operators who include an extended-absence notice requirement in their lease agreements—as contemplated by § 66-28-404—are generally positioned to recover actual damages when a tenant willfully ignores that requirement. Compliant landlords document their re-renting efforts carefully when a unit is abandoned, since the statute imposes a duty to use reasonable efforts to find a new tenant at a fair rental rate. Landlords who enter a vacant unit during a tenant's absence of more than seven days typically do so at times that are reasonably necessary and keep records of those entries.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 66-28-507 gives tenants important context about their obligations and the landlord's rights during extended absences: if your lease includes a notice requirement for absences longer than seven days, failing to provide that notice could expose you to a claim for actual damages. On the flip side, the provision also protects tenants who abandon a unit by requiring the landlord to actively seek a replacement tenant at a fair rental, which can limit the amount of rent a tenant might owe after leaving. Tenants who believe a landlord has not met the duty to re-rent, or who have questions about entry during an absence, may find it helpful to consult a tenant-rights organization familiar with Tennessee law or to review resources provided by local legal aid services.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 29, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.