When can a Tennessee court hand a neglected property to a receiver?
If earlier court orders under Tennessee's Neighborhood Preservation Act don't end a public nuisance on a property, the court can appoint a receiver to take possession and control of it and carry out a plan. A plan to end the nuisance, whether it comes from the owner, an interested party or a proposed receiver, must include a detailed budget and a projected timeline in writing.
If repairing the property isn't feasible, the plan must give the cost of tearing down the building, or the parts of it that make up the nuisance. A proposed receiver can offer a stabilization plan instead, with its own written budget. Stabilization means fixing the conditions needed to secure the building and keep it from deteriorating further.
Within 30 days of being appointed, the receiver must pay off everything owed on the property's delinquent property tax liens. The receiver reports to the court every 60 days and, once the work is done, files a final report and asks the court to set the amount of the receiver's lien. The owner then has 30 days to pay that lien in full, and if the owner does, the court ends the receivership.
When a receiver has finished a stabilization plan, only bidders the court has certified as qualified buyers can bid at the receiver's auction. The buyer must post a bond or other security, set by the court, that the nuisance will be fixed within nine months of closing.
The act doesn't reach every county: it applies where the legislature has extended it, and a 2026 law added Tipton County and let Montgomery and Tipton counties join the Tennessee Local Land Bank Program.
How long does a Tennessee owner have to redeem a house sold for back taxes?
The owner has one year from the order confirming the sale to redeem if the taxes were three years or less behind, and 90 days if they were more than three years behind. That scale took effect July 1, 2026, and applies to sales confirmed on or after that date.
Unpaid property taxes, with interest and costs, are a first lien on the property, and the county and city collect them through court cases. The court orders the property sold, the sale can be held online, and every tax sale is subject to the owner's right to redeem.
Have a Tennessee house sitting empty while the mortgage payments fall behind too? This guide explains Tennessee's foreclosure process.
What happens to a Tennessee house a county buys at its own tax sale?
A county or city that buys a property at its own tax sale must aim to put it back on the tax rolls, or to a public use, within a reasonably prompt time. The county can transfer such a property to a land bank or another government entity, or to a nonprofit.
One kind of nonprofit that can qualify is one chartered to build or restore homes as affordable, livable housing for people in need.
A local land bank can bid at a tax sale under the same rules as any other bidder.
What can a Tennessee town do when an owner won't fix a property code violation?
If a municipal court finds that an owner broke a local property-maintenance ordinance and the owner hasn't fixed it within 30 days, the city or town can fix the violation itself. The cost can be charged to the owner as a lien on the property, and the town can also use other legal ways to collect it.
The town may not do that work if the cost could hurt its financial position or is more than its budget allows.
What counts as a blighted property in Tennessee?
For a housing authority's redevelopment takings, a blighted property is a building a local inspector has cited for code violations that affect the safety of the people inside or the public. The violations must involve key parts of the building, such as the roof, support walls or foundation, and must have gone unfixed for a reasonable time after two notices to cure.
When a housing authority approves taking a property, the owner has the right to have a court decide whether the taking is to fix blight and resell it.
How do you report an abandoned house in Nashville or Chattanooga, Tennessee?
In Nashville, codes violations can be reported online through hubNashville or by calling the Codes Hotline at 615-862-6590.
Chattanooga takes reports by phone at 311, online, or through its 311 app. In Chattanooga, neighborhood associations can ask for systematic inspections to deal with whole blocks of blight.
You can also tell me where it is. I'll find out who owns it and reach out about buying it and fixing it up.