Before the Next Ice Storm: A Freeze-Proofing Plan for Memphis Rental Owners
In January 2026 the City of Memphis declared a state of emergency before an ice storm that officials compared with 1994. Heating season is back, and the time to freeze-proof a Shelby County rental is while the weather is still mild. Here is what the utility says, what Tennessee law expects of a landlord, and a plan you can finish this month.
What the January storm told us
According to WKNO FM, Memphis Mayor Paul Young declared a state of emergency on January 23, 2026, ahead of freezing rain, sleet, snow and ice. He said the storm could be as severe as the 1994 winter storm, and Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) was preparing for widespread power outages that could last several days, with water service possibly disrupted as well. Residents were told to keep at least three days of food and a gallon of water per person per day, let faucets drip and open cabinet doors to warm pipes.
For a landlord, the lesson is not about one storm. A multi-day outage removes the thing most owners quietly rely on, which is a working heating system and a tenant who is home to notice trouble. If you own in Memphis, Germantown, TN or Collierville, the question to ask now is what each property does when the power is out and the temperature is in the teens.
What MLGW advises, and what it implies for owners
In its January 21, 2026 customer release, MLGW said pipes and water heaters can burst whenever temperatures fall below freezing, and it treats a burst as an emergency. Its guidance is simple: let faucets drip, open cabinet doors, disconnect hoses, insulate outdoor pipes, and learn where the main shutoff valve is before you need it. If a pipe does burst, MLGW says to shut the water off at the street with a meter key, which hardware stores sell, and it warned that a request for help may be slow when demand is high. For vacant property, it says owners should shut the water off at the street.
Read as a landlord, that guidance becomes four jobs. First, every tenant should know where the interior shutoff is. Second, you should know it too, and have written it in the property file. Third, someone must be able to reach the street valve, which means owning or locating a meter key. Fourth, vacant units need a decision in advance rather than during the storm.
A utility will tell you to shut the water off at the street, but it cannot promise to arrive first. Your plan has to work without waiting for anyone.
Your repair duty under Tennessee law
MLGW's landlord and tenant brochure summarizes the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-304: a landlord must comply with building and housing codes that affect health and safety, make repairs, and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition. That framing matters for freeze season, because heat and running water are the core of habitability.
One geographic caution. The Act applies only in Tennessee counties with more than 75,000 residents. That includes Shelby County and leaves out much of Fayette County, so an owner in Somerville or Oakland in Fayette County should not assume the same statutory framework and should read the lease closely. Either way, the practical standard is the same: a rental that loses heat or water in winter becomes a repair emergency the moment the tenant calls. This is general information, not legal advice.
A pre-winter checklist for occupied rentals
- Service the heat before the first cold snap. Have the furnace or heat pump inspected and filters replaced. A system that fails in a December cold spell is a premium-priced emergency call.
- Insulate exposed supply lines in crawlspaces, attics, garages and exterior walls, and check that foundation vents and crawlspace access panels close.
- Handle the outdoors. Remove and store hoses, and insulate outdoor spigots, as MLGW advises.
- Send a short tenant notice in November. Tell residents where the main shutoff is, to let faucets drip and open under-sink cabinet doors when it freezes, to keep the heat on if they travel, and to report any leak or heating problem the same day.
- Warn against unsafe heat. The city's storm guidance cautions against using stoves or ovens for heat and asks residents to use space heaters safely. Confirm smoke and carbon monoxide detectors work in every unit.
A plan for vacant units
A vacant rental is the highest-risk property in a freeze, because a leak can run for days with no one to see it. Following MLGW's advice for vacant property, many owners close the water at the street before winter and drain the interior lines if the unit will sit empty. If you are marketing the home, remember that a showing needs water on, so schedule the shutoff around move-in, and treat a pre-showing walk-through as a leak check. Whoever holds the keys should know the sequence for turning water back on slowly and inspecting under sinks.
A worked scenario, with no dollar figures invented
Imagine a single-family rental in Memphis whose tenant is out of town when a multi-day outage hits. The furnace is off, an exposed line in an uninsulated crawlspace freezes, and it splits as temperatures rise. Nobody is home, so water runs until the neighbor notices. The cost is not just the pipe: it is drywall, flooring, mold risk and weeks of lost rent. Every step in the checklist above would have lowered that risk: insulation, a tenant who knew to shut the main valve, and a street shutoff that someone could reach. We are deliberately not quoting a repair cost, because bills vary widely by house and we will not publish a number we cannot source.
Keep the paperwork for tax season
If a freeze does cost you money, ask for itemized invoices. As covered in our guide to repair versus improvement safe harbors, the IRS de minimis election is applied invoice by invoice, so a clear breakdown of pipe repair, drywall and flooring can change how each line is treated. Our deferred maintenance article explains why small fixes made early tend to prevent the expensive ones. Insurance coverage varies by policy, so read yours for freeze and water-damage terms before winter, not after.
Where our team fits
Homefront does not prepare your taxes or write your insurance. What our team does is run the property side: seasonal inspections, tenant communication, coordinating repairs and keeping records organized. If you own a rental in Memphis, Germantown, TN, Collierville or Bartlett, we can walk through your portfolio. Management fees at Homefront never exceed 10% of monthly rent, with a customized schedule by portfolio size and no hidden charges; tenant screening is paid by the applicant, and under our lease tenants are responsible for legal fees arising from a breach.
Sources & further reading: WKNO FM — Memphis mayor declares state of emergency ahead of severe winter weather (January 23, 2026); MLGW — customer preparation release (January 21, 2026); MLGW — landlord and tenant brochure.