Sell Your Commercial Property In Oxford, MS

Who rents in Oxford

Renters occupy 56.8% of Oxford's 9,955 occupied homes, per Census ACS 2020-2024 tenure estimates. Lafayette County's renter share is 36.2%, and Mississippi's is 30.0%. Oxford's 5,657 renter households make up 82.0% of Lafayette County's 6,899.

Oxford had 26,411 residents in the ACS 2020-2024 population estimate. Median household income in Oxford was $64,451, per ACS table B19013. Lafayette County's median was $67,185, and Mississippi's was $56,447.

Buying a house in Oxford costs far more than elsewhere in the state. Median owner-occupied home value in Oxford was $385,700, per ACS table B25077. Mississippi's median was $169,800, so Oxford's is 2.27 times higher.

Rents and affordability against HUD fair market rents

Median gross rent in Oxford was $1,071 in ACS 2020-2024, per table B25064. Lafayette County's median was $1,085, and Mississippi's was $954. Oxford's median sits $184 below HUD's FY2027 two-bedroom fair market rent.

HUD sets a single schedule for Lafayette County, MS, effective October 1, 2026. These figures come from the HUD fair market rent program.

Some 49.4% of Oxford renter households paid 30% or more of income on rent, per ACS table B25070. Severe burden, at 50% or more of income, reached 29.6%. Lafayette County's 30%-plus share was 47.3%.

Rental vacancy was 28.9% in Oxford, per ACS profile table DP04. Lafayette County's rate was 31.6%, against 8.2% statewide. Anyone preparing to sell commercial property in Oxford, MS should expect buyers to ask hard questions about lease-up and occupancy history.

Apartment stock in Oxford

Apartments make up a large part of Oxford's housing. Some 5,527 of Oxford's 16,717 housing units, or 33.1%, sit in buildings of five or more units, per ACS table B25024. Lafayette County's share is 20.0%, and Mississippi's is 9.2%.

Small and mid-size buildings dominate. Oxford counts 2,390 units in buildings of 5 to 9 units and 1,591 in buildings of 10 to 19. Another 995 units sit in buildings of 20 to 49 units, and 551 in buildings of 50 or more. Lafayette County's estimates for those two largest bands are the same 995 and 551 units.

Oxford's stock is young by Mississippi standards. Median year built in Oxford is 2000, per ACS table B25035, against 1986 statewide. Some 49.4% of Oxford housing units were built in 2000 or later, per ACS table B25034. Only 25.2% predate 1980, against 41.5% across Mississippi.

Oxford also counts far more housing units than occupied homes, at 16,717 units against 9,955 occupied households. For anyone selling commercial property in Oxford, a building's own occupancy record will carry more weight with buyers than citywide averages.

Property taxes in Lafayette County, with a $2 million example

Apartment buildings in Lafayette County are assessed at 15% of true value. The Mississippi Department of Revenue puts all real property outside Classes I and IV in Class II at that ratio. Single-family, owner-occupied homes in Class I are assessed at 10%.

Mississippi's Department of Revenue publishes the millage for each taxing unit. TheDepartment of Revenue's combined millage rate schedules list 2024-2025 rates of 37.51 mills for Lafayette County funds and 32.65 mills for Oxford. The same schedules list 61.51 mills for the Oxford School District.

Here is the math for a $2,000,000 apartment building in Oxford and the Oxford School District:

• True value: $2,000,000
• Assessed value at the 15% Class II ratio: $300,000
• Tax for each mill levied: $300 a year
• Lafayette County funds at 37.51 mills: $11,253
• City of Oxford at 32.65 mills: $9,795
• Oxford School District at 61.51 mills: $18,453
• Sum of the three DOR-listed rates, 131.67 mills: $39,501 a year, or about 1.98% of value

Parcels outside Oxford follow other schedules. DOR lists 9 mills for the Town of Taylor and 68.7 mills for Lafayette County Schools. Owners who sell commercial real estate in Oxford, MS should hand buyers the current tax bill, since underwriting starts from it.

Assessment appeals go to the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors. The Department of Revenue says an appeal is normally due by the first Monday in August before taxes come due. Assessors must revalue real property at least once every four years.

Landlord rules in Mississippi and Oxford

Mississippi sets no statutory cap on security deposits. Miss. Code § 89-8-21 requires return of the remaining deposit within 45 days after the tenancy ends. Any deductions must be itemized in writing.

Nonpayment notices are short. Under Miss. Code § 89-8-13, a landlord may end the rental agreement if rent is not paid within three days of written notice. Other material breaches need at least 14 days' written notice.

Month-to-month tenancies end on 30 days' written notice, and week-to-week tenancies on seven, per Miss. Code § 89-8-19. Oxford cannot impose rent control on its own. Miss. Code § 21-17-5(2)(h) bars municipalities from regulating rent on private residential property without prior legislative approval.

What it means for an owner

Demand in Oxford starts with the University of Mississippi. UM enrolled 28,405 students in fall 2025, including 3,183 at its Medical Center in Jackson, per the University of Mississippi. Its fall 2025 freshman class numbered 5,464. Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi adds a 217-bed acute care hospital on Belk Boulevard.

Supply is the counterweight. A 28.9% rental vacancy rate and a median rent $184 under HUD's FY2027 two-bedroom benchmark limit pricing power. County, city and Oxford School District rates that sum to 131.67 mills also weigh on net income.

If you plan to sell commercial property in Oxford, MS, start with your own numbers. Run your rent roll through our cap rate calculator and compare it with trailing 12-month expenses.

When you are ready to sell your apartment building in Oxford, Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings in Oxford and across Lafayette County. You can see how our purchase process works and request an offer.