Mobile home utilities in Mississippi

Mississippi has no dedicated mobile home park utility law. Where the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act governs, it sets the landlord's maintenance duty; otherwise the written lease and the Public Service Commission's general regulation apply. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone disputing a specific charge or outage should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Mississippi.

What the statute says

Under Miss. Code §89-8-23(1), where the Act governs, a landlord must "comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety" and "maintain the dwelling unit, its plumbing, heating and/or cooling system, in substantially the same condition as at the inception of the lease," reasonable wear and tear excluded, unless the system is damaged by the tenant. The Act has no provision capping a utility markup or prescribing a submetering method, and Mississippi has no dedicated mobile-home-park utility statute. Eviction must run through the court removal process (Title 89, Chapter 7), so a landlord can't use self-help — including cutting utilities — to force a tenant out.

How it works in general

Where the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies, a Mississippi landlord has to keep the dwelling's plumbing and heating or cooling systems in substantially the condition they were in at the start of the lease and meet health-and-safety codes. But Mississippi doesn't cap what a park can charge for utilities or require a particular metering method, so where a park bills for utilities the written lease sets the terms, and regulated utility service and rates fall to the Mississippi Public Service Commission. A park can't cut a resident's utilities to force them out — eviction has to go through the courts. As with other issues, coverage matters: a resident who owns the home and rents only the lot may fall outside the Act.

Common scenarios

General examples Mississippi park residents commonly encounter:

• The dwelling's plumbing or heating fails. Where the Act applies, the landlord must maintain it (§89-8-23(1)).
• A resident questions a utility markup. No statute caps it; the lease controls, and the PSC regulates utility rates.
• A park threatens to cut utilities over a dispute. Eviction must go through court; self-help is barred (Title 89, ch. 7).

Other authorities that may apply

The Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Miss. Code §89-8-23) sets the landlord's maintenance duty for covered tenancies; the Mississippi Public Service Commission regulates jurisdictional utility service and rates. Because Mississippi has no dedicated park act, this guide flags the absence of a markup cap honestly. The written lease sets the billing terms.