The Mississippi rental agreements are documents that establish the relationship between a landlord and a tenant. These contracts determine the amount of the rent, frequency of payments, and duration of the tenancy, among other terms. All terms are governed by the Mississippi landlord-tenant law and cannot supersede state laws.
Mississippi Rental Agreement Types
Mississippi Required Lease Disclosures
- Lead-Based Paint Disclosure (required for some) – Each Mississippi lease is required to include a lead-based paint disclosure form, EPA-approved pamphlet regarding the dangers of lead paint, and any known hazards that exist in the dwelling unit or the building it is located in if it was built before 1978 and at-risk for lead paint toxicity.
To learn more about required disclosures in Mississippi, click here.
Mississippi Landlord Tenant Laws
- Warranty of Habitability – Mississippi requires its landlords to provide and maintain proper plumbing and HVAC. If a tenant requests a repair to these, a landlord has 30 days to respond to and act upon the request. Otherwise, the tenant may opt to perform a repair and deduct action. Tenants do not have the option to withhold rent.
- Evictions –Mississippi landlords may evict tenants for a number of reasons including, but not limited to failure to pay rent, a violation of a leasing term, or committing an illegal act. Landlords must provide tenants with prior notice to pay, comply or quit, depending on the type of eviction. An eviction could occur in under a week or take more than a month.
- Security Deposits – Mississippi state law does limit what a landlord can charge a tenant for a security deposit. However, any remaining deposit must be returned within 45 days of a lease termination.
- Lease Termination – Mississippi tenants can terminate a month-to-month lease early if they submit a 30 days’ notice. These tenants may break a fixed-term lease early for the following reasons: active military duty, landlord harassment, domestic violence, mandatory disclosures, or unit uninhabitability.
- Rent Increases & Fees – Mississippi does not require its landlords to issue notice or justification for an impending rent increase. Late fees have no limit; however, returned check fees are capped at $40.
- Landlord Entry – Mississippi tenants are not required to give their landlord access to the dwelling unit unless it is specifically written in the lease agreement.
- Settling Legal Disputes – Landlord-tenant disputes in Mississippi can be heard and decided in the state’s small claims courts. These venues will accept cases valued at under $3,500 and that have occurred within the previous 4 years.
To learn more about landlord tenant laws in Mississippi, click here.