By Andrea’ Barnes, MCJ Director of Heirs’ Property
For generations, land has been more than just a place to call home for families across Mississippi; it has been the foundation for building wealth, preserving family history, and creating opportunities for future generations. The family farm passed down from grandparents. The home where children grew up and grandchildren now play. These properties represent decades of hard work, sacrifice, and dreams for a better future.
Yet today, too many families are losing this precious inheritance—not because they want to sell, but because a broken system has failed to protect their rights as landowners.
Nobody should have to lose the land, home, or property that has been in their family for generations simply because of a lack of information. But that’s exactly what’s happening across Mississippi.
Heirs’ property, land, and homes that have been passed down through families, often without a formal will, present unique challenges. When property is inherited by multiple family members, critical information can fall through the cracks. Who’s responsible for paying property taxes? Have taxes gone unpaid? Is the land at risk? Without a centralized system for managing this information, families can lose track of their obligations, and before they know it, their family’s legacy is in jeopardy.
As part of our heirs’ property work, we have been working to empower families with the information, resources and support they need to protect the land and property they have inherited so they can continue to pass it to future generations.
Our work ranges from helping families resolve title issues they encounter when they inherit land without a formal will, helping families develop financial and future plans for their shared property, protecting families from real estate speculators who may try to force a sale of family property or land, and providing families with legal support when they face the risk of losing their heir property.
Through this work, we have helped many families preserve important land and property and help them build generational wealth.
Our work also extends to advocating for stronger policies and safeguards to help families who have inherited land and property.
Here’s the hard truth: the system is broken, and it’s failing the families who need protection most. Current law requires that families who own land be given proper notice when property taxes are due, when taxes haven’t been paid, and when their land might be at risk of foreclosure. However, in our work with families across Mississippi, we’ve seen time and again that this doesn’t always happen in practice.
Families tell us they never received notice. They had no idea taxes were owed until it was too late. They find themselves scrambling to pay back taxes they didn’t know existed, often with penalties and interest that make the debt nearly impossible to manage.
Adding to the confusion, there are inconsistencies across different counties when taxes are due. What is standard practice in one county may be completely different in another. And too many families don’t have adequate information about their redemption rights and the legal pathways that could help them save their homes from foreclosure or tax sale.
Here’s what needs to change:
- Clear, consistent communication. Families should know exactly when property taxes need to be paid, with plenty of advance notice. No surprises. No confusion.
- Better systems and stronger laws. We need legislation that ensures proper notice is given to families about tax sales—and documentation proving that notice was delivered. Counties should be required to make genuine efforts to reach property owners, not just go through the motions.
- Accessible information about rights. Every family should understand their redemption rights and know what steps they can take to prevent foreclosure or tax sale of their property.
- Consistency across counties. Families shouldn’t have to navigate eighty-two different systems depending on where their property is located. Mississippi needs standardized practices that protect landowners statewide.
This isn’t just about property—it’s about justice, dignity, and the right to hold onto what our ancestors fought so hard to secure.
If you own heirs’ property, if your family has land that’s been passed down through generations, or if you simply believe that families deserve fair treatment and protection under the law, we need you in this fight. Join us to learn more about your rights as a landowner and connect with our resources that can help you navigate the system and protect your family’s legacy: https://mscenterforjustice.org/our-work/heirs-property/.