In court-decided eviction outcomes for Memphis, TN, tenants prevail in roughly 15.0% 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
31d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Memphis, TN until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 31 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.0–3.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Memphis, TN costs landlords $964 to $3,100 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,181
33% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Memphis, TN is $1,181 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 33% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
55.1%
of households
55.1% of occupied housing units in Memphis, 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
22.5%
8.3% unemp.
22.5% of Memphis, TN residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 8.3%. 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
Dem margin +25.4% (2024)
6.0
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.0
State political climate
Tennessee legislature & governorship
2.5
Economic stress
22.5% poverty · 8.3% unemp.
7.5
Supply constraint
$1,181 average · 55.1% renters
4.0
Rent Control risk
33.2% of income on rent
1.5
Eviction process difficulty
31 days filing → judgment
3.5
Tenant organizing strength
55.1% renters
5.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.5
Geographic context
Risk heat across Memphis and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Memphis compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Shelby County
Very High
#1of 7 cities
#1 of 7 cities in Shelby County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Tennessee
Very High
#1of 501 cities
#1 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-0.6 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
31d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,181/mo. A contested eviction takes 31 days and costs $964–$3,100 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
55.1%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 618,980 residents, 55.1% rent. 33% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 22.5% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6 and 4 (Dem margin +25.4% (2024)). State climate at 2.5, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2.5
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2.5/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 3.5, housing court bias 4.5, rent-control risk 1.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-1.5 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
7.5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 7.5. Supply constraint: 4. The numbers behind those: 22.5% poverty, 8.3% unemployment, 33% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Memphis sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Memphis · 31d · ~$2.0k all-in ($66/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 Memphis, 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.
Memphis is a city of 618,980 residents where 55.1% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 3.1% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,181/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 Memphis eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 3.5/10, 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 Memphis closes 31 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 Memphis's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 4.5/10 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 Memphis runs $964 to $3,100 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 31 days of typical timeline and $1,181/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 5/10 in Memphis, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1.5/10). 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 Memphis: 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 $3,100 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Memphis
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
What runs Memphis eviction volume: a large single-family rental investor base (the Memphis MSA has one of the highest concentrations of out-of-state SFR owners in the country, with Invitation Homes, Pretium, and many smaller operators owning thousands of units each), aggressive screening that produces tenant churn, and a court culture that processes default judgments quickly. Memphis Area Legal Services and Memphis Tenants Union staff defense, but capacity reaches only a fraction of the docket.
Trap · T.C.A. 66-35-102
The Tennessee preemption framework matters here too. T.C.A. 66-35-102 preempts rent control. HB 2125 (2018) preempted local source-of-income ordinances. Memphis had a 2017 source-of-income ordinance that was preempted by the 2018 state law. The 2023 attempt at a municipal eviction-defense fund cleared council but has been challenged in state court on home-rule grounds; the litigation was still pending as of mid-2025.
04Eviction filings
Latest Eviction Filings
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, county-level. Last update 2026-04-01.
In the most recent month, 1,579 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.77× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 25,698 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 146,558.2
1,579Past month
25,698Past 12 months
0.77×vs baseline (past mo)
27.1%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: 14 days notice (for nonpayment of rent cases, though in many cases less). Filing fee: $102.5 filing fee.
Last 36 months of filings2023-04-01 — 2026-03-01
Filings dropped 15% over the past 12 months.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Memphis without a reason?
Yes, for month-to-month tenancies, you can terminate with a 30-day notice without needing "just cause," as there's no statewide just-cause requirement. However, you cannot evict for discriminatory or retaliatory reasons.
Q2
What's the most common mistake landlords make in Memphis evictions?
The biggest mistake is improper notice. Either serving it incorrectly, not giving the full 14 days for non-payment, or not documenting proof of service. This almost guarantees a dismissal in court and forces you to start over.
Q3
How quickly can I get a tenant out once they stop paying rent?
The fastest you can expect is around 31 days from the first missed payment, assuming you serve the 14-day notice promptly and the court process goes smoothly. Any delays on your part or a contested case will extend this timeframe significantly.
Q4
Do I need a lawyer for every eviction in Memphis?
Not always, but it's highly recommended if you're unsure of the process, if the tenant is uncooperative, or if they plan to contest the eviction. A lawyer ensures you follow all legal steps and avoid costly mistakes. For general info, see our Tennessee eviction risk overview or Shelby County eviction guide.
Q5
What happens if a tenant leaves property behind after an eviction?
Under Tennessee law, you must store the tenant's personal property for at least 30 days. You need to notify the tenant of where their property is being stored. If they don't retrieve it, you can then dispose of it or sell it, typically applying proceeds to unpaid rent or damages.
A 3.1/10 places Memphis in the 100th 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 Memphis (24 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
