Cal. Civ. Code § 89-8-3
Application of chapter.
Operative Text
(1) This chapter shall apply to, regulate and determine rights, obligations and remedies under any rental agreement entered into after July 1, 1991, wherever made, for a dwelling unit located within this state, including the parties’ rights to possession following the termination or expiration of such an agreement. Any rights, obligations, or remedies at law or in equity not prohibited by this chapter remain available to residential landlords and tenants. The provisions of this chapter shall not be construed to give rights to any person who trespasses or otherwise enters and/or remains on the property of another for any length of time without the landlord’s knowledge or permission. (2) The following arrangements are not governed by this chapter: (a) Residence at an institution, public or private, if incidental to detention or the provision of medical, geriatric, educational, counseling, religious or similar service; (b) Occupancy under a contract of sale of a dwelling unit or the property of which it is a part, if the occupant is the purchaser or a person who succeeds to the purchaser’s interest; (c) Occupancy by a member of a fraternal or social organization in the portion of a structure operated for the benefit of the organization; (d) Transient occupancy in a hotel, motel or lodgings; (e) Occupancy by an owner of a condominium unit or a holder of a proprietary lease in a cooperative; or (f) Occupancy under a rental agreement covering premises used by the occupant primarily for agricultural purposes or when the occupant is performing agricultural labor for the owner and the premises are rented for less than fair rental value. History Laws, 1991, ch. 478, § 2; Laws, 1993, ch. 312, § 1, eff from and after passage (approved March 12, 1993); Laws, 2022, ch. 501, § 22, eff from and after passage (approved April 21, 2022); Laws, 2025, ch. 460, § 3, eff from and after passage (approved April 10, 2025); Laws, 2025, ch. 474, § 3, eff from and after July 1, 2025.
Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-3 establishes the scope of Mississippi's residential landlord-tenant chapter, which applies to rental agreements for dwelling units located in Mississippi that were entered into after July 1, 1991. The chapter governs the rights, obligations, and remedies of both landlords and tenants, while preserving any additional legal or equitable rights not expressly prohibited by it. Certain living arrangements fall entirely outside the chapter's reach, including institutional residences, hotel or motel stays, condominium ownership, cooperative leases, contract-for-deed occupancies, fraternal organization housing, and agricultural-labor housing rented below fair market value. Unauthorized occupants—those who enter or remain on a property without the landlord's knowledge or permission—are explicitly excluded from any protections the chapter might otherwise provide.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-3, property owners and managers operating residential rentals in Mississippi should be aware that the chapter's protections and obligations apply to agreements signed after July 1, 1991, covering dwelling units in the state. Compliant operators generally confirm that a tenancy falls within the chapter's scope before relying on its procedures—for example, verifying that the arrangement is not a transient hotel stay, an agricultural-labor housing situation, or another exempt category. Operators also typically document that any occupant has been granted permission to be on the premises, since the chapter expressly withholds its protections from unauthorized entrants.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-3 defines who is covered by Mississippi's residential landlord-tenant law, and tenants living under a standard rental agreement for a Mississippi dwelling unit entered into after July 1, 1991 generally fall within its protections. Tenants whose arrangements may be disputed—such as those in transitional or non-traditional housing—can review the exemption list in § 89-8-3(2) to assess whether their occupancy type is covered. Those who believe their rights under the chapter have been violated may consider consulting a tenant-rights organization or legal aid provider to understand available remedies, including any legal or equitable claims that the chapter preserves beyond its own explicit provisions.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 30, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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