Johnson City Code Enforcement
Use the city office for questions about Johnson City code notices or code enforcement.
Johnson City, TN seller help · Tenant-occupied property
Can I Sell My Johnson City House With Tenants Still Living There?
You're done — no turnover, no repairs, no more bad tenants.
Yes. You can sell with tenants still living there. A sale does not cancel the lease; the buyer takes the house subject to it and becomes the new landlord.
USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Johnson City and Carter, Sullivan, and Washington Counties. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
Call 888-274-5006 to talk through the lease, access, repairs, occupancy, or timing. You can start the conversation before deciding what to do about the tenancy.
Talk through your tenant-occupied house
Share the address and what you know about the lease, rent, deposits, access, repairs, and timing.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Tell us about the house, who lives there, and the lease or access questions.
What we do
You don't always need to evict to sell to us. We buy houses with tenants in place — we've done it many times, including cash-for-keys when that works better for everyone. Tell us about the lease, occupancy, rent and deposit records, access limits, repairs, and what you hope will happen next.
We discuss the house with the tenancy in view. You can talk through a move-out arrangement, including cash-for-keys when that works better for everyone, without treating a sale as an automatic end to the lease.
Bring us the problem
Lease timing, limited access, needed repairs, or a difficult tenant conversation can make a listing harder to plan. Tell us what is happening with the house and tenancy; call even if you have not resolved those details.
What happens next
1. We talk through the house and tenancy
We discuss the address, lease, occupancy, access, condition, and your timing. You can tell us what you want to happen without first deciding whether to seek possession.
2. You receive written terms to consider
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours. You can read the proposed price and terms before deciding whether to continue.
Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing.
3. The lease and deposit are part of the closing discussion
Have the lease, current rent, deposit balance and account information, tenant notices, and access details ready to discuss with the closing professionals. A sale does not erase the tenant handoff.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including Tennessee's realty transfer tax. Your mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes are separate.
Local offices for a Johnson City property
Johnson City extends into Carter, Sullivan, and Washington Counties. Confirm which county the property is in before using a county office. For a city code question, start with Johnson City Code Enforcement; for a recorded-property office, use the Register of Deeds for the property's county. These offices do not determine a tenant's lease rights.
Carter County Register of Deeds
Official county office link for a property in Carter County.
Sullivan County Department of Register of Deeds
Official county office link for a property in Sullivan County.
Washington County Register of Deeds
Official county office link for a property in Washington County.
Tennessee lease, notice, possession, and deposit rules
The county matters. Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in counties that had more than 75,000 people in the 2010 census. Washington and Sullivan Counties meet that test; Carter County does not. The Act's rules below are for Washington and Sullivan County properties, not Carter County rentals.
The lease continues when the house sells
A sale does not by itself cancel the lease. The buyer takes the house subject to the lease and becomes the new landlord. Selling alone does not give you possession of an occupied house; the lease and applicable notice rules still matter.
Keep the security-deposit record with the lease
In Washington and Sullivan Counties, the Act requires a landlord to keep a tenant's security deposit in an account used only for deposits and tell the tenant where the account is. Keep the deposit amount, account details, and tenant communications available for the handoff.
Notice and the seller's lease responsibility after sale
In counties covered by the Act, unless agreed otherwise, a seller who sells in good faith is released from responsibility for later lease events only after the tenant receives written notice of the sale and the deposit is transferred to the buyer. A sale alone does not complete those steps.
Notice for month-to-month and week-to-week tenancies
Where the Act applies, ending a month-to-month tenancy takes written notice at least 30 days before the rent date named in the notice. A week-to-week tenancy takes at least 10 days' written notice. These are notice periods for those periodic tenancies, not a general move-out date after a sale. A fixed-term lease and other protections may require a different approach.
Sources: Tennessee General Assembly, Public Chapter 182 (county coverage); Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 66-28-301, 66-28-305, and 66-28-512; Public Chapter 156, § 3 (sale notice and deposit transfer); U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Washington County.
More Johnson City seller help
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Johnson City tenant-occupied seller questions
Can I sell a Johnson City house while tenants still live there?
Yes. A sale does not by itself cancel the lease. The buyer takes the house subject to the lease and becomes the new landlord. We buy houses with tenants in place — including cash-for-keys when that works better for everyone.
Do I have to evict before I talk with you?
No. You can call before deciding what to do about possession. The lease continues through a sale, and the notice and possession rules depend on the property's county and tenancy.
How does a sale affect a tenant security deposit?
In Washington and Sullivan Counties, the Tennessee Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires the landlord to keep security deposits in an account used only for deposits and tell tenants where the account is. Unless agreed otherwise, a seller acting in good faith is released from later lease events only after the tenant receives written notice of the sale and the deposit is transferred to the buyer.
How much notice is needed to end a periodic tenancy?
In Washington and Sullivan Counties, the Act requires written notice at least 30 days before the rent date named in the notice for a month-to-month tenancy, and at least 10 days for a week-to-week tenancy. A fixed-term lease and other protections may require a different approach. These periods do not make a sale itself end the lease.
Which county rules apply to my Johnson City rental?
Johnson City extends into Carter, Sullivan, and Washington Counties, so confirm the county for the property address. The Tennessee Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies in Washington and Sullivan Counties, but not Carter County; Carter County rentals follow different rules.
Talk through the tenant situation
Call 888-274-5006 or return to the form above. Tell us what is happening with the lease, access, repairs, or timing.