Home Students and renters
Renters & parents · Oxford, Mississippi
Mice in your Oxford rental? A guide for students and parents
What to do tonight, who is responsible under Mississippi law, how to tell your landlord in writing, and how to keep mice out of an empty apartment over break.
- More than half of Oxford rents
- Written notice starts the clock
- Template included
- Not legal advice
Landlord ready to fix it? Have them request a callback, or send them our landlord guide.
Start here
What should I do if I find mice in my Oxford rental?
Tell your landlord in writing and keep dated photos. Mississippi law requires landlords to comply with building, housing and health codes that affect health and safety (Miss. Code § 89-8-23), except for problems the tenant caused. If a covered problem is not fixed within 30 days of written notice, § 89-8-15 lets a tenant who is current on rent repair it and deduct the cost, up to one month’s rent, no more than once every six months. This is general information, not legal advice.
Right now
Found mice in your apartment? What to do tonight
Seven things to do before you go to bed.
Do not panic, and do not start spraying or setting out poison. A few simple steps tonight protect your food and your health, and they set you up for a clean report to your landlord tomorrow.
Most important of all: photograph everything before you clean it up. Droppings, chewed bags and damage are your evidence.
- Take dated photos of droppings, chewed packaging and any damage
- Move all open food into sealed jars, plastic tubs or the fridge
- Do not sweep or vacuum droppings dry; wet them with disinfectant first and wear gloves
- Take the trash out to the cart tonight
- Put pet food away overnight
- Write down where and when you saw or heard something
- Send your landlord a written notice in the morning
Your rights
Who is responsible for mice in a Mississippi rental?
Short answer: usually the landlord, once you tell them in writing.
| Situation | Usually responsible | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mice getting in through gaps in walls, pipes or doors | Landlord | Building upkeep and health and safety codes (§ 89-8-23) |
| Mice spreading from a neighboring unit | Landlord | Shared walls and the building are the owner’s to maintain |
| Rodents caused by the tenant (food left out, trash piled inside) | Tenant | § 89-8-23 excludes problems the tenant caused |
| Lease says the tenant handles pests | Check the lease | Some duties can be shifted in writing; read your lease |
| Keeping food sealed and trash out | Tenant | The day-to-day part you control |
In Oxford this comes up a lot. More than half of households here rent, according to U.S. Census data, and the University of Mississippi enrolled 25,222 students in fall 2025. Most rodent problems in rentals are building problems: a gap behind the stove, an open pipe chase, a worn door sweep. Those are on the owner to fix.
Is this legal advice? No. Laws and leases differ. If you are in a dispute, talk to a lawyer or a tenant legal aid office. What we can do is tell you, and your landlord, exactly where the mice are getting in.
Template
How to tell your landlord in writing
Copy this, fill in the brackets, and send it.
Text or email counts if your lease allows notice that way. Attach your photos. Keep a copy of what you sent and when.
Copy, fill in, and send by text or email. Keep a copy.
Hi [landlord or property manager name],
I am writing to report a rodent problem at [your address and unit number]. Since [date you first noticed], I have found [mouse droppings / chewed food packaging / scratching in the walls / a live or dead mouse] in the [kitchen / bedroom / bathroom / closet]. Photos are attached, taken on [dates].
I have not caused this problem, and I am keeping food sealed and taking trash out regularly. Please arrange for pest control to inspect the unit and seal the entry points. Please let me know by [a date about one week away] when this will be scheduled.
Thank you,
[Your name] · [Phone number] · [Date]
A calm, specific message works better than an angry one. It gives the dates, the evidence and a clear request. If your landlord calls us, we inspect the unit, number the entry points and put the price in writing for them.
Two different rules
The 30-day repair-and-deduct rule, and the separate lease-termination rule
Two separate parts of Mississippi law. Do not merge them.
| Rule | What it covers | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| § 89-8-15 repair and deduct | Fixing a covered problem yourself after the landlord fails to | Written notice first; 30 days for the landlord to act; tenant must be current on rent; capped at one month’s rent; once every six months |
| § 89-8-13 lease termination | Ending the lease over a serious, unfixed breach | A separate section with its own notice requirements; read it or ask a lawyer before relying on it |
These are two different remedies with different timelines. People often mix them up. Neither one replaces a calm written notice, which is the first step in both. You can read both sections on Justia, linked in the sources below.
Why it keeps happening
Why mice travel between units through shared walls
If the neighbors have mice, you probably will too.
Shared walls
Mice move through wall voids, pipe chases and ceilings between units. One open unit can restock the whole building.
Small gaps
A house mouse fits through a 1/4 inch gap, about the width of a pencil, according to MSU Extension.
Short range
Mice usually stay within about 30 feet of the nest, so the gap is usually close to where droppings are.
The real fix
Sealing the gaps in your unit, and ideally the units around it, is what stops the cycle.
Do mice mean I am messy? No. Mice get into clean apartments every week. They want warmth and a gap, not mess.
Before you leave
Before Thanksgiving and winter break: a checklist for empty units
Breaks are when small mouse problems turn into big ones.
Empty, quiet apartments are exactly what mice look for once Oxford nights turn cold. The university’s Thanksgiving break runs November 21 to 29 in 2026, and after December finals (December 7 to 11) a lot of units sit empty until spring classes start on January 19. Short on time? Our Thanksgiving break check takes 15 minutes.
Twenty minutes before you leave saves you from coming back to a mess.
- Take every bag of trash out; do not leave any inside
- Empty the pantry of open food, or seal it in hard containers
- Clean crumbs from the floor, under the stove and toaster
- Unplug and prop open an empty fridge, or leave it running and stocked
- Close closet and cabinet doors
- Ask your landlord to check or seal the unit while it is empty
- Take a few photos of the kitchen floor so you can compare when you return
Trash day tip: the City of Oxford asks that carts be out by 6 a.m. on collection day, and the night before is allowed. Overflowing carts at complexes are a rodent buffet, so do not leave bags beside a full cart.
Move-in and move-out
Move-in and move-out checklists for students and parents
May and August turnover is the best time to catch a problem.
Moving in (August)
Before you unpack, look under the kitchen sink, behind the stove and inside closets for droppings or chewed spots. Check that exterior doors close tightly with no daylight under them. Photograph anything you find and send it to the landlord in your first week, so it is on record as theirs, not yours.
Moving out (May)
Take every food item and every bag of trash with you. Wipe out cabinets and the pantry. Photograph the kitchen and closets on your way out. Clean move-outs protect your deposit, and they keep the unit from turning into a mouse nest over the summer.
For landlords and parents
Get the unit sealed, not just trapped
Call or send the form. We inspect the unit, number the entry points and put the price in writing for whoever is paying.
Parents out of state
Parents out of state: how to help from home
You can do more from home than you think.
A lot of Oxford rodent calls start with a text from a student to a parent in Houston, Memphis or Atlanta. You cannot crawl behind the stove from there, but you can make sure the right steps happen quickly.
Read the lease
Find the section on repairs and pests, and how notice must be given. That decides who calls whom.
Ask for photos
Dated photos of droppings and damage make the written notice stronger and help us on the phone.
Help send the notice
Use the template above. A short, calm, written message with photos gets action faster.
Call us yourself
We are happy to talk to parents directly and coordinate with the landlord or property manager.
Request a callback
Tell us what you’re hearing
Prefer not to call right now? Send this instead and we call you back. No mailing list, no door knockers, no door-to-door sales.
Straight answers
Renter questions about mice and rats
Can I refuse glue traps in my apartment?
You can ask. The CDC advises against glue traps because trapped rodents panic and spread germs. Ask your landlord’s pest company to use snap traps placed out of reach instead.
Is rodent poison in my unit safe?
Loose poison indoors is a bad idea, especially in shared buildings: mice can die inside walls between units and the smell lasts for weeks. Ask what product is being used and where.
Can I break my lease over mice?
Mississippi has a separate section of law on lease termination for serious, unfixed breaches (§ 89-8-13). It has its own requirements. Talk to a lawyer before relying on it.
My landlord is not responding. What now?
Send a second written notice and keep copies of both. After 30 days, § 89-8-15 may allow repair and deduct if you are current on rent. Tenant legal aid can advise on your situation.
Do I have to pay for pest control as a tenant?
Usually not for problems you did not cause, unless your lease says otherwise. Read the pest or repairs section of your lease.
Will mice come back after the landlord treats my unit?
They will if the entry points are not sealed, or if the units around you still have mice. Ask that the gaps be sealed, not just traps set.
Keep reading
Related rodent help for Oxford homes
From the blog: questions people ask
Sources
Last reviewed October 2026 by the Rodent Control Oxford team. Biology and control standards follow Mississippi State University Extension and the CDC. Price ranges are labeled benchmarks; your price comes in writing after we inspect.
- Justia, Mississippi Code § 89-8-23 (landlord obligations)
- Justia, Mississippi Code § 89-8-15 (repair and deduct)
- Justia, Mississippi Code § 89-8-13 (termination)
- University of Mississippi Office of the Registrar, academic calendars
- City of Oxford, waste disposal guidelines
- U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Oxford city, Mississippi
- Mississippi State University Extension, Critter of the Month: House Mouse
- CDC, Trap Up
Oxford & Lafayette County
Hearing it again tonight?
One call gets your inspection scheduled. Tell us what you heard and where. We seal first, trap second, and the six things in writing come standard.
Serving Oxford 38655, University 38677, Taylor 38673, Abbeville 38601, Paris 38949 and the rest of Lafayette County, Mississippi.
Rodent Control Oxford. Independent, rodent-only, local.