(a) Where a tenant for life of real estate creates a lease out of the tenant’s estate for one (1) or more years, and dies before the expiration of the lease, and before the term fixed for the payment of the rent, the rent may be apportioned, and the executor or administrator of the tenant for life may recover of the lessee, pro rata, according to the contract, and for the time the lessee had the use of the property until the death of the tenant for life.

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 30-2-304

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Remainderman: One entitled to the remainder of an estate after a particular reserved right or interest, such as a life tenancy, has expired.
  • signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) Whenever any person has rented from a life tenant by written contract signed by the life tenant any real estate, adapted to and rented for farming or agricultural purposes, for a period not exceeding one (1) year, and the written contract has been entered into after December 1st of the preceding year, and the life tenant dies after the succeeding January 1st and during the year for which the contract is made, the lessee shall have the right to hold possession of such premises until the end of the year or term as against the remaindermen and all other persons; and in this case the rents on the premises for the year shall be apportioned between the estate of the deceased life tenant and the remainderman as provided by subsection (a).