Hamilton County, Tennessee Eviction Risk: Very Low

Hamilton County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.4/10 (Low) across its 18 tracked cities, which puts it in the higher-risk third of Tennessee: only 14 of the state's 94 counties score worse, while 79 are less risky for landlords. That statewide context matters because a 3.2 county average still masks meaningful variation, and the gap between Hamilton County's friendliest and most challenging submarkets is wide enough to drive materially different underwriting decisions.

At a countywide level, conditions are workable. Average rent sits at $1,264 per month, and the average rent burden runs 27.6% of income, a figure that falls well short of the distress threshold. The renter share of households is 41.3%, so the rental pool is substantial, but a poverty rate of 14.4% means a non-trivial slice of that pool is financially fragile. Landlords who price carefully and screen rigorously will find the market manageable; those who carry chronically late-paying tenants will feel that poverty rate quickly.

The cities inside Hamilton County

Risk in Hamilton County is genuinely hyper-local. Collegedale carries the county's highest city score at 4.1/10, followed closely by East Ridge at 4/10 (population 22,070) and Red Bank at 3.9/10. Soddy-Daisy scores 3.8/10 (population 13,231), and Harrison ties it at 3.8/10. These five cities sit at the elevated end of the county's 2.7 to 4.1 intra-county range and call for tighter rent-to-income screening and conservative vacancy assumptions.

At the other end of the range, Chattanooga, the county's dominant market at a population of 185,783, posts a score of 2.8/10, the lowest in the data set and the anchor that pulls the county average down. Investors comparing micro-markets should treat Collegedale and Chattanooga as effectively different operating environments despite sharing the same county line.

State-level laws that apply here

Hamilton County operates under the Tennessee eviction laws Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, T.C.A. § 66-28, which is the relevant framework for counties of Hamilton's population. For nonpayment of rent, a landlord must serve a 7-day notice to pay or vacate (TCA § 66-28-505, as amended by SB-1088). A material breach triggers a 14-day cure notice under the same section, and a non-curable breach requires only a 3-day notice under TCA § 66-28-517. Understanding the Tennessee eviction process end-to-end matters here: an uncontested case runs 21 to 45 days, while a contested case can stretch to 45 to 120 days. Tennessee eviction costs typically range from a court filing fee of $200 to $300, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $150, and attorney fees of $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity and whether the tenant contests.

Tennessee eviction laws state law imposes no just-cause requirement for nonrenewal and no rent cap, and the state preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Hamilton County landlords face no local rent-regulation overlay. Source-of-income is not a protected class under Tennessee eviction laws state law, though landlords should always confirm current fair-housing guidance through the Tennessee eviction laws Human Rights Commission.

With a poverty rate of 14.4% and a renter share of 41.3%, Hamilton County offers a large rental market that rewards disciplined operators; the city grid above breaks out individual city scores so you can compare submarkets before committing capital.