Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Tennessee

Re: credit and renting apartments

First, you should not accept anything by word without written proof. If the landlord claims you are a party to the lease, he should produce a copy of the lease with your name on it. Then you ask if your name is on it, why didn't you have to sign? I seriously doubt if a husband can sign on behalf of himself and his wife. The wife would really have to sign to become legally liable for payments.

Tennessee has a statute called the Landlord Tenant Act that covers leases in the major cities plus a handful of other counties. You should look for the act or ask your landlord if that particular lease is in a county governed by the statute. If so, it will be even harder for your landlord to claim you owe any money on a lease you did not sign.