A Tenant's Guide to Breaking a Lease in Mississippi

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

What You Must Know Before Breaking A Lease In Mississippi

A lease is a binding contract between a tenant and a landlord. It stipulates the length of time the tenant is expected to stay at the property, the amount of rent due, and when. In Mississippi, leases exist to protect both sides of the contract. And there are times when either the landlord or the tenant want to cancel the lease arrangement early.

Mississippi landlord-tenant law establishes certain requirements that must be met for either party to the lease early, and keep in mind that notice periods are necessary when requesting early termination. Understanding the state's rules and regulations can help you legally .

How to Break a Lease in Mississippi on Your Own

with only a minor penalty —or none at all — is possible. If you have a good relationship with your landlord, and a few negotiating skills, you might be able to break your lease in MS without much trouble or expense.

But if your landlord is very strict, if you deal with a property management company, or if you’ve had a turbulent relationship with them, things can get more complicated.

Here are the steps you should take to break your lease by yourself, in most normal situations:

  1. Read and understand your lease agreement.
  2. Contact your landlord or property manager to discuss breaking the lease.
  3. Ask them if it’s okay to break a lease without a penalty.
  4. Explain that they can get more income from the unit from a new tenant.
  5. Draft a letter that explains why and when you will be breaking the lease.
  6. Sign and date the letter.
  7. Send it to them via certified mail, and keep a copy.

Some situations are more complicated. Perhaps you’re breaking a lease because your landlord hasn’t made crucial repairs. Maybe there is a pest infestation, or the property is somehow unsafe.

You can write a demand letter to your landlord that explains why you are breaking your lease early. Include any evidence of why this is a legal reason to break the lease - photos of mold, water damage, or rat droppings - and proof that you’ve contacted them about these issues in the past. They might let you out of that lease without a problem.

Landlord Responsibilities in Mississippi

The table below explores “habitability,” and responsibilities that fall to the landlord.

IssueIs it the Landlord’s responsibility?
Structural damage, such as a leaking roofYes
Plumbing problems, like a toilet that doesn’t flushYes
HVAC, like heaters and coolers that workYes
BedbugsNot specifically addressed by MS laws

It’s vital that you document these issues, and document your attempts to contact the landlord about them. Thanks to modern technology, an email that includes the property address, the date, your name and the landlord’s name should be sufficient.

How to break your lease with DoNotPay

It's not easy to find a loophole in breaking a lease in Mississippi. Going through the long list of laws and terms can be daunting, too. This where DoNotPay is the ideal solution. It is a simple platform with a handful of solutions, including helping you quickly break your lease in Mississippi.

Here's how you can get started in 3 easy steps:

  1. Search Break My Lease on DoNotPay.

  2. Prepare a signed copy of your lease that you can use as a reference and enter the state the lease was signed in.

  3. Let us guide you through the 4 potential options.

Four Options for Breaking a Lease in Mississippi

  • If you're a uniformed servicemember breaking a lease to fulfill your service obligations, we'll send your landlord an SCRA Protection Letter.
  • If you're breaking your lease for a reason protected by your state's tenant laws, we'll write your landlord a letter detailing your protections for breaking the lease under the relevant law.
  • If your reasons for breaking your lease aren't protected by federal or state law but you'd like to try to convince your landlord to let you break the lease through mutual agreement, we'll draft a hardship letter making your case to your landlord.
  • If there are no remaining options for breaking the lease with protection but your state requires landlords to mitigate damages to tenants who break their leases, we'll notify your landlord of that obligation and minimize the remaining rent you have to pay.

What Additional Services Can DoNotPay Provide?

Apart from without any hassle, DoNotPay provides further assistance. The following are a few of the services that DoNotPay provides to its clients.

Explore DoNotPay’s other services to see what other problems we can solve for you today. We can help you avoid eviction, get your security deposit back from the landlord, and sue them in small claims court if they don’t refund your money. Try it today!

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