A rental or lease application is a form that asks potential renters for personal information such as personal details, employment history, rental history, financial information, and personal references.
If you’re a property manager or a landlord, you can use our Mississippi rental application to screen renters before entering into a Mississippi lease agreement.
Specifically, you can use the data in a completed rental application to perform criminal background checks, reference checks, credit checks, and more. These checks can show you whether a prospective tenant is reliable and safe.
Mississippi Rental Application Fees
There are no prescribed limits for rental application fees in Mississippi.
However, landlords should charge a reasonable amount to cover the cost of processing the rental application, approximately the average rental application fee of around $30 to $40.
Pet Deposits
Mississippi does not have any state statutes governing pet deposits. Accordingly, landlords may ask for pet deposits to cover any potential property damage caused by a pet.
However, federal law entitles people who use service and emotional support animals to full and equal access to housing.
As such, landlords can not require tenants to pay extra for service and emotional support animals.
Security Deposit
In Mississippi, a security deposit is any payment or deposit of money that renters pay to landlords to secure the performance of a rental agreement.
Mississippi does not limit how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit as long as the lease contract states the amount. Most landlords change one or two months’ rent as a security deposit.
The landlord may only retain the security deposit for specific remedies at the end of a lease.
Landlords often use the security deposit to cover unpaid rent, costs of damage (other than ordinary wear and tear) caused by the renter’s failure to meet tenant obligations, and expenses incurred due to default.
Authorization for Background Checks
Before you conduct a background check on a prospective renter in Mississippi, you must obtain their permission by having them sign a background check authorization form.
This form tells the renter what checks you will run. It also gives you the data you need to perform the check.
How To Conduct an Eviction Record Search in Mississippi
An eviction record search is one of the best ways to determine whether a potential renter is reliable.
You can do this by:
- Going to the Mississippi Court Records page online.
- Typing in the prospective renter’s first and last name.
- Looking at the results to see if the prospective tenant has a history of eviction or behavior that could lead to eviction.
Other Resources for Landlords in Mississippi
How to Write a Rental Application
Follow the steps below to write a rental application in Mississippi.
Step 1 – Fill in Property Address Information
Write the date of the rental application and the address of the rental property.
Step 2 – Collect Basic Rental Applicant Information
This section provides the applicant(s) basic identifying information about themselves.
Step 3 – Collect Applicant’s Residence History
In this section, the applicant(s) provides their residence history including addresses, dates of residency, and reasons for moving.
Step 4 – Gather Applicant’s Employment History
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide current and previous employment information and other sources of income.
Step 5 – Gather Applicant’s Financial History
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide bank account and credit card information.
Step 6 – Collect References
The applicant(s) provides personal references’ names and contact information in this section.
Step 7 – Additional Questions and Verification
This section contains additional questions to determine more information about the applicant such as smoking or pets.
Sample Mississippi Rental Application
Click below to access a sample rental application form that you can use to screen potential tenants in Mississippi.