City of Memphis Code Enforcement
4225 Riverdale Road, Memphis, TN 38141 · 901-636-7464. Contact the city about its current reporting process for unsafe housing or code concerns.
Memphis, TN seller help · Tenant-occupied property
You're done — no turnover, no repairs, no more bad tenants.
Yes. You can sell a house in the City of Memphis or Shelby County, Tennessee, with tenants still living there. USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in both areas, including homes with tenants in place. A sale does not by itself cancel the lease: the buyer takes the house subject to it and becomes the new landlord.
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form. You can call before deciding what should happen with the tenancy.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the address, lease or occupancy details, access, repairs, and timing.
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What we do
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
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.
If a move-out plan may work better for everyone, tell us about it. We can discuss the house and tenancy while you consider whether an occupied sale or a move-out arrangement fits your situation.
Bring us the problem
Lease timing, access, or repairs making the sale hard to sort out? Tell us what is happening with the house and tenancy. You do not have to resolve every question before starting the conversation.
Call 888-274-5006 and describe what is going on.
What happens next
We discuss the lease, who is living there, access, the house as it stands, and the timing you are considering. Start with what you know; you do not need to make the house vacant before calling.
1. Talk through the house and tenancy
Tell us about the Memphis address, who lives there, the lease, rent and deposit records, access, repairs, and timing. You can start with the details you have.
2. Review the written offer and terms
We discuss the property and occupancy, then put the proposed terms in writing. We give written cash offers in 24 hours. You can read the offer before deciding whether to proceed.
Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing.
3. Work through the handoff and closing
The title company handles closing. Include the lease, occupancy, and security-deposit details in the handoff discussion. 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 help for a Memphis rental
For an unsafe-housing or code concern at a property within City of Memphis jurisdiction, the city lists this reporting route:
Tennessee leases, notice, and security deposits
A sale does not by itself cancel the lease. The buyer takes the house subject to the lease and becomes the new landlord, so a tenant does not have to move just because the property sells.
Tennessee's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not cover every county. Its coverage depends on the county's population in the 2010 Census; the notice and deposit rules below apply to rentals covered by that Act. A fixed-term lease and other tenant protections may require a different approach.
Where the Act applies, the landlord must keep a tenant's security deposit in an account used only for deposits and tell the tenant where it is held. Unless agreed otherwise, when a landlord sells in good faith, the seller is released from later events under the lease only after the tenant receives written notice of the sale and the deposit is transferred to the buyer. The sale alone does not complete that handoff.
If you want to end a tenancy covered by the Act, a month-to-month rental needs written notice at least 30 days before the rent date named in the notice. A week-to-week rental needs at least 10 days' written notice. These notice periods do not automatically set a move-out date for a fixed-term lease or every other situation.
Tennessee law sources
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-102 and 2021 Public Chapter 182 — county coverage based on the 2010 Census.
- Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 66-28-301 and 66-28-512 — security-deposit accounts and notice for week-to-week or month-to-month rentals.
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-305, 2005 Public Chapter 156 — written sale notice and transfer of the security deposit.
Memphis seller resources
Memphis home-sale net proceeds calculator →Compare your own planning numbers for a direct sale and listing. The estimates depend on the inputs you choose.Memphis and Shelby County seller resources →Find local offices, seller information, and other property-situation pages.Memphis code-violation questions →Read about selling a house with a code concern or open notice.Memphis seller questions →Browse answers to common questions about selling a Memphis house.
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Questions about selling a Memphis rental
Can I sell a Memphis house while tenants still live there?
Yes. USA Home Buyers buys houses with tenants in place in the City of Memphis and Shelby County. A sale does not by itself cancel the lease; the buyer takes the house subject to it and becomes the new landlord.
Do I have to evict before I call?
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.
What happens to the security deposit when I sell?
For a tenancy covered by the Tennessee Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, the deposit must be held in an account used only for deposits, and the tenant must be told where it is held. Unless agreed otherwise, a landlord who sells 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.
What notice applies to a month-to-month or week-to-week tenancy?
Where the Tennessee Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies, ending a month-to-month tenancy takes at least 30 days’ written notice before the rent date named in the notice. A week-to-week tenancy takes at least 10 days’ written notice. A fixed-term lease or other protections may call for a different approach.
Talk through the tenant situation
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Tell us about the Memphis house, lease, access, or repairs.