How to Fire Your Property Manager in Mississippi

A step-by-step guide for Mississippi landlords switching property managers, covering broker trust accounts, the records a broker has to keep, tenant deposits and what to collect before you cut ties.

Last updated September 23, 2026

Missed repairs, slow replies, a statement that never adds up. Most landlords wait too long to make the call.

Mississippi does not give you a statutory handover deadline the way some states do. What it gives you is a licensing law that treats a broker sitting on your money as a disciplinary matter, and a rule that forces brokers to keep the paperwork you are about to ask for. Use both.

Here is how to make the switch without losing a deposit, a tenant or a month of rent.

Step 1. Read your management agreement

Your contract decides how you exit. Look for four things.

Notice period. Thirty days' written notice is common.
Termination fee. Some agreements charge one, some do not.
Leasing fee clawbacks. Check what you owe for tenants the manager placed.
Who "owns" the tenant relationship. Some agreements try to charge you for keeping a tenant they found.

If the manager broke the agreement by ignoring repairs or mishandling money, you may be able to end it sooner. That is a question for a Mississippi attorney.

Step 2. Send written notice

Put it in writing, by email and by any method your agreement names. State the end date, ask for a full handover by that date, and list what you expect back (see Step 4).

Keep the tone flat and factual. You want your records, not an argument.

Step 3. Know the trust account rules your broker lives under

Managing rentals for pay in Mississippi is brokerage, so your manager is a licensed broker or works under one. Three rules matter to you on the way out.

Client money goes in a trust or escrow account. A responsible broker who takes in cash or checks deposits the money in a trust or escrow account at a bank or trust company, and "reasonable time" for that deposit means the close of business on the next banking day (Miss. Code Ann. § 73-35-21).

Sitting on your money is a license offense. Failing within a reasonable time to account for or remit money belonging to others, or commingling that money with the broker's own funds, is grounds for the Mississippi Real Estate Commission to refuse, suspend or revoke a license (§ 73-35-21). That is your lever when a final statement does not arrive.

The records exist. Accurate records have to be kept on escrow accounts of all monies received, disbursed or on hand (30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1601, R. 3.4(C)). A broker keeps complete records of a transaction for three years after it closes, including leases, escrow records and closing statements (R. 3.2). A manager who says the file is gone is telling you something about the file.

If the deadline passes and you are still waiting, file a complaint with the Mississippi Real Estate Commission under its complaint rules (30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1601, R. 5.1).

Step 4. Collect everything

Ask for all of this before the end date.

Security deposits for every tenant, with the amount held for each one
The trust account ledger showing rents collected, fees taken and what is still owed to you
Signed leases, renewals and any addenda
Any move-in condition reports and photos
Tenant contact details and payment history
Open maintenance requests, vendor contacts, invoices and warranties
Keys, fobs, garage remotes and codes
Year-to-date income and expense reports for your taxes

Step 5. Move the security deposits

Mississippi does not order you to hold deposits in escrow, and it sets no cap on the amount. What it says is that the deposit is held by you for the tenant, and that the tenant's claim to it ranks ahead of any claim by your own creditors (§ 89-8-21).

Put the money in a separate account anyway. Mixing deposits with operating cash is how landlords end up short in month eleven.

Then write down what you took over, tenant by tenant. At the end of the tenancy you have 45 days from the termination of the tenancy, the delivery of possession and the tenant's demand to return what is left, with written notice itemizing anything you keep (§ 89-8-21(3)). Bad-faith retention costs up to $200 plus actual damages (§ 89-8-21(4)). The figure you inherit from the old manager is the figure you will be judged against, so confirm it in writing before the handover closes.

Step 6. Tell your tenants

Tenants care about three things. Where to pay rent, who to call for repairs, and whether their deposit is safe. Send one clear message covering all three, dated, with the day the change takes effect.

Name the deposit amount you are now holding for that tenant. It ends the argument before it starts.

Step 7. Take over the day-to-day

Line up your vendors, set up rent collection, and get a maintenance line that picks up at 2am. This is where most landlords end up back where they started, holding a phone that never stops ringing.

Who can manage property for pay in Mississippi

A real estate broker includes anyone who, for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration, lists, sells, purchases, exchanges, rents, leases, manages or auctions real estate, or negotiates any of that (§ 73-35-3(1)). Doing it without a license is unlawful (§ 73-35-1).

Owners are exempt. The chapter does not apply to a person, partnership, association or corporation who, as a bona fide owner, performs any of those acts on property they own (§ 73-35-3(7)). Managing your own rentals needs no license.

Unlicensed managers have no claim on you. Nobody can bring an action in a Mississippi court for a commission, fee or compensation without having been duly licensed at the time the services were rendered (§ 73-35-33). Unlicensed practice carries fines and jail exposure, plus a civil penalty running from the amount received up to four times that amount, recoverable by an aggrieved party (§ 73-35-31).

If you hire a new manager, check the license with the Mississippi Real Estate Commission before you sign anything.

Your switching checklist

Read the agreement for notice, fees and clawbacks
Send written notice with an end date
Demand a full accounting of trust account funds, and cite the accounting duty if it stalls
Collect deposits, ledgers, leases, condition reports and keys
Move deposits into their own account and confirm each tenant's balance in writing
Tell tenants where to pay, who to call and what deposit you hold
Verify any new manager's license before signing

Switch to Taz

Taz is an AI property manager built for landlords who have been let down before. It answers tenants day and night, routes repairs to vendors, sends rent reminders and keeps every record in one place, for a flat monthly price per door instead of a cut of your rent. See how Taz works.

Where this guide says a state has no rule on something, that means we found no statute setting one, which is not the same as none existing. Local ordinances and court practice can add requirements. Confirm anything you plan to rely on.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your management agreement and your specific facts matter. Talk to a Mississippi attorney before ending a contract. Last checked September 2026.