In court-decided eviction outcomes for Morristown, TN, tenants prevail in roughly 22.9% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
38d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Morristown, TN until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 38 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.1-3.4k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Morristown, TN costs landlords $1,074 to $3,383 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$882
28% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Morristown, TN is $882 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 28% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
45.1%
of households
45.1% of occupied housing units in Morristown, TN are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
25.4%
7.8% unemp.
25.4% of Morristown, TN residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 7.8%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +58.9% (2024)
3.1
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.1
State political climate
Tennessee legislature & governorship
1.9
Economic stress
25.4% poverty · 7.8% unemp.
8.4
Supply constraint
$882 average · 45.1% renters
6.7
Rent Control risk
27.5% of income on rent
6.6
Eviction process difficulty
38 days filing → judgment
2.1
Tenant organizing strength
45.1% renters
8.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
7.7
Geographic context
Risk heat across Morristown and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Morristown compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Hamblen County
Very High
#1of 2 cities
#1 of 2 cities in Hamblen County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Tennessee
High
#96of 501 cities
#96 of 501 cities in Tennessee for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.1
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.1/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.0 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
38d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $882/mo. A contested eviction takes 38 days and costs $1,074-$3,383 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
45.1%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 31,527 residents, 45.1% rent. 28% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 25.4% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
3.1
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 3.1 and 3.1 (GOP margin +58.9% (2024)). State climate at 1.9, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
1.9
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 1.9/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 2.1, housing court bias 7.7, rent-control risk 6.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-2.9 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
8.4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 8.4. Supply constraint: 6.7. The numbers behind those: 25.4% poverty, 7.8% unemployment, 28% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Morristown sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Morristown · 38d · ~$2.2k all-in ($59/day) · score 3.1National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0-4 4-7 7-10
Landlording in Morristown, Tennessee, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.1/10 (LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Morristown is a city of 31,527 residents where 45.1% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 27.5% of income on rent. At an average rent of $882/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Morristown eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 2.1/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Morristown closes 38 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Morristown's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 7.7/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Morristown runs $1,074 to $3,383 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1-2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 38 days of typical timeline and $882/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 8.9/10 in Morristown, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (6.6/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Tennessee, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Morristown: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Tennessee's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $3,383 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Morristown
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Cost-versus-timeline trade-off: at 38 days and roughly $3,383 on the high end, cash-for-keys at $1,353 to $2,029 typically beats the legal route for non-aggravated cases. Default judgment frequency is high under T.C.A. 66-28 URLTA.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What's the absolute fastest I can evict someone in Morristown?
The typical timeline is 38 days, but that's an average. The fastest possible would be if the tenant moved out immediately after receiving your 14-day notice. Once you file, the court process itself is fairly quick in Morristown, but you can't bypass the notice periods or the 10-day appeal window after judgment.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for any reason in Tennessee?
Tennessee is not a "just-cause" state. For month-to-month tenancies, you can terminate with a 30-day notice without needing a specific reason. For fixed-term leases, you generally need a lease violation (like non-payment) or the lease term to expire. You cannot evict for discriminatory reasons or in retaliation for a tenant exercising their legal rights.
Q3
What happens if a tenant appeals the eviction judgment?
If a tenant appeals, the case moves to a higher court, usually Circuit Court. This will significantly delay the process and increase your legal costs. The tenant may be required to pay rent into the court registry during the appeal. This is another reason why having good legal counsel from the start is smart.
Q4
Is "cash for keys" a legal option in Morristown?
Yes, "cash for keys" is a perfectly legal and often effective strategy. It's a voluntary agreement where you offer a tenant money to move out by a specific date, leaving the property in good condition. Get the agreement in writing, clearly stating the terms, the amount, and that it's in exchange for vacating the premises.
Q5
How much notice do I need to give for a rent increase?
If you have a month-to-month lease, you must give the tenant at least 30 days' written notice before increasing the rent. For a fixed-term lease, you cannot increase the rent until the lease term expires, unless the lease specifically allows for it.
Q6
Are there any rent control laws in Morristown or Tennessee?
No. Tennessee has a statewide prohibition on rent control. This means cities like Morristown cannot enact their own rent control ordinances. For more details, see our Tennessee rent control rules. However, this doesn't mean you can raise rent excessively without consequence; market forces and tenant retention still matter.
A 3.1/10 places Morristown in the 83rd percentile of Tennessee cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Neighborhoods in Morristown (1 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
