Can A Tennessee Landlord Be Held Liable When a Tenant’s Dog Attacks and Injures Another?

Under Tennessee law the responsibility of a landlord for dog bites or other attacks by dogs owned by the landlord’s tenant depends on the facts of the case.

The landlord is responsible only if he, she or it knew or had notice of the vicious propensity of the tenant’s dog and the landlord had sufficient control of the leased premises to require the tenant to remove the dog or safety restrain it.

Control can be demonstrated by provisions in leases that give the landlord the right to evict if the tenant engages in "dangerous" activities or "inappropriate" activities.  Control can also be demonstrated in the lease gives the landlord the right to allow or disallow the keeping of a pet.

If a landlord is held responsible, Tennessee law defines the damages that can be awarded in dog bite cases.

The Law Offices of John Day, P.C. represents victims of dog bites and other dog attacks.  Please contact me at 615.742.4880 or 866-812-8787 for a free consultation about your Tennessee dog bite case.  You may also fill out our Contact form and we will get in touch with you promptly.

John Day and the other lawyers in his firm  represent people who have been injured or lost a loved one due to the negligence of another person or company. John has been listed in Best Lawyers for 20 years, and has the highest legal rating a lawyer can earn by the legal rating service Martindale and AVVO. An author of two books on law and over 50 articles for legal publications, John has given approximately 300 speeches to lawyers in over 15 states on personal injury, wrongful death, and related subjects. He represents people across Tennessee in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability and other civil cases. To read what John’s  clients have said about him and his law firm, click here.

Contact Information