(1) This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies.
(2) Underlying purposes and policies of this chapter are to: Simplify, clarify, modernize and revise the law governing the rental of dwelling units and the rights and obligations of landlord and tenant;
(3) Encourage landlord and tenant to maintain and improve the quality of housing;
(4) Promote equal protection to all parties; and
(5) Make uniform the law in Tennessee.
(6) Unless displaced by this chapter, the principles of law and equity, including the law relating to capacity to contract, health, safety and fire prevention, estoppel, fraud, misrepresentation, duress, coercion, mistake, bankruptcy, or other validating or invalidating cause supplement its provisions.
(7) This chapter being a general chapter intended as a unified coverage of its subject matter, no part of it is to be construed as impliedly repealed by subsequent legislation if that construction can reasonably be avoided.