Holmes County, Mississippi Eviction Risk: Low

Holmes County, Mississippi eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 4.1/10, placing it in the Moderate tier across its 5 incorporated places. That county-wide figure sits in the higher-risk third of the state: 25 of Mississippi eviction laws's 82 counties score worse, and 56 are measurably more landlord-friendly. For investors evaluating this market, the headline number tells only part of the story.

Conditions inside the county range from 3.9 to 4.3, a tighter band than many rural Mississippi counties, but still enough to shift underwriting assumptions from one city to the next. With nearly half of all occupied housing units renter-occupied (49.1% average renter share) and an average rent of $512, the tenant base is deep but economically stretched, a combination that elevates both demand for rental housing and the likelihood of payment disruptions when incomes dip.

The cities inside Holmes County

Goodman is the riskiest market in the county at 4.3/10, with a population of 1,177. A thin tenant pool combined with the county's broader economic headwinds gives landlords limited flexibility on vacancies. Durant (population 2,103) and Pickens (population 969) both score 4.2/10, making them the county's two largest and second-riskiest markets simultaneously. Durant's size makes it the most active rental market in the county, but that volume does not translate to lower risk.

Tchula (population 1,802) lands at 4.1/10, matching the county average, while Lexington (population 1,350) is the relative bright spot at 3.9/10, the lowest score in the county. Even that more favorable reading still sits above what most landlords would consider a low-risk environment. Risk in Holmes County is genuinely hyper-local: a difference of four-tenths of a point separates the best and worst cities, and that gap is wide enough to affect cap-rate assumptions and eviction-cycle planning.

State-level laws that apply here

All Holmes County landlords operate under Mississippi state law, specifically Miss. Code § 89-8 (Landlord and Tenant). The notice structure is straightforward: 3 days for non-payment of rent, 14 days for a lease violation with an opportunity to cure, and 30 days for an end-of-term or no-cause termination. Mississippi does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts any local attempt to impose rent control, so landlords face no additional municipal restrictions layered on top of the state framework. The Mississippi eviction process moves at a moderate pace, with uncontested cases resolving in 30 to 60 days and contested matters extending to 60 to 120 days.

On the cost side, court filing fees run $75 to $150, sheriff lockout fees add $30 to $120, and attorney fees for eviction work typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Understanding Mississippi eviction costs up front is essential for anyone underwriting deals in this county, particularly given the compressed rent levels. Source-of-income protections do not apply under state statute, and the fair-housing enforcement agency is the Mississippi Attorney General, Consumer Protection division.

Holmes County's average poverty rate of 38.3% is among the highest in the state and is the single sharpest risk factor to weigh; review the city grid above to see how that pressure distributes across Goodman, Durant, Pickens, Tchula, and Lexington before committing to any specific submarket.