Based right here in Hattiesburg, we represent homeowners in Lamar County, Forrest County, and throughout the Pine Belt against negligent pest control companies.
McHard Anderson is a law firm, not a pest control company. We do not treat termites in Hattiesburg — we sue the companies that were paid to and didn’t.
Local Knowledge Matters: We understand the specific construction styles, soil conditions, and pest control challenges unique to this area.
Our firm has recovered substantial damages for homeowners in this jurisdiction.
McHard Anderson, PLLC is headquartered at 140 Mayfair Road in Hattiesburg. We're not a coastal firm making occasional trips inland — we live and work in this community. When a Hattiesburg homeowner calls us about termite damage, we understand the neighborhoods, the construction styles, and the pest control companies operating in this market.
The Pine Belt's warm, humid climate and dense pine forests make it a year-round breeding ground for subterranean termites. Homes in Hattiesburg face constant pressure from colonies that can travel over 100 yards underground to reach a structure. Without consistent, professional treatment, damage is not a question of if — it's a question of when.
Hattiesburg and the surrounding Pine Belt sit in USDA Termite Infestation Probability Zone 1 — the highest-risk category in the United States. The combination of acidic pine soils, year-round warmth, and consistent rainfall creates conditions where Formosan and Eastern subterranean termite colonies thrive.
Many Hattiesburg neighborhoods were built in the 1950s-1970s during the city's post-war growth period. Homes in The Avenues, North Main Street, Parkhaven, and Broadmoor feature crawlspace construction that requires diligent annual inspection — the kind of inspection pest control companies routinely skip.
Newer Oak Grove and West Hattiesburg subdivisions often use slab-on-grade construction, which requires different treatment methods including drilling and sub-slab injection that companies sometimes shortcut.
Depending on your property's location, cases may be filed in either Lamar County Circuit Court in Purvis or Forrest County Circuit Court in Hattiesburg. Our office is minutes from both courthouses, and we litigate in these jurisdictions regularly. For Jones County properties, we file in the Jones County Circuit Court in Laurel or Ellisville.
We know these courts. We know the local procedures. And we know the pest control companies that operate here — because we've sued them before.
For decades the Formosan subterranean termite was thought of as a coastal problem. That is no longer true. Formosan colonies are now established in Forrest and Lamar Counties, and they behave differently from the native Eastern subterranean termite Hattiesburg homeowners grew up with. A mature Formosan colony can number in the millions, forages aggressively, and can build above-ground "carton" nests inside wall voids where a moisture source exists — a leaking window flashing, a bathroom exhaust vented into the attic, a crawlspace with poor drainage. That means the annual inspection a pest control company is paid to perform has to be a real inspection: crawlspace entered, attic checked, moisture readings taken. A technician who walks the exterior in eight minutes and marks "no activity" is not inspecting for Formosans. When damage surfaces later, that inspection record is where the case begins.
Hattiesburg's older neighborhoods — the Historic Neighborhood District, the Oaks, North Main, the Avenues — turn over regularly, and a meaningful share of the termite cases we see in the Pine Belt begin at a closing table. The pattern is familiar: a home with a decades-old crawlspace, a seller who "never had any trouble," a termite letter ordered at the last minute, and six months later a floor that gives underfoot. Mississippi sellers must answer the termite questions on the Property Condition Disclosure Statement truthfully, and a seller who knew about prior treatment or damage and said otherwise can be liable for concealment. The pest control operator who signed a clean Wood Destroying Insect Report over visible damage can be liable too. We evaluate both paths in every purchase case. See what to do when a seller didn't disclose termite damage.
Hattiesburg has one of the largest rental markets in the state, driven by the University of Southern Mississippi, William Carey, and Camp Shelby. That produces two very different termite situations. If you are a tenant whose landlord has ignored written reports of swarmers, sagging floors, or damaged trim, Mississippi's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act gives you habitability rights and remedies, though the cost of repairing the building itself is the owner's loss, not yours. If you are a landlord who has been paying a pest control company to bond a rental property, you are the homeowner in the eyes of the law, and a company that let a colony destroy your investment while collecting renewals is your defendant. Either way, put every report in writing and keep the responses.
Every case is evaluated on its own merits — no honest lawyer will quote you a number before reviewing your contract, your service history, and the damage itself. What Mississippi law allows a homeowner to pursue, though, is consistent:
Initial review (free): We review your contract, the damage, and your service history. If we don't think you have a case, we'll tell you.
Investigation: We work with independent inspectors and engineers to document the damage and the company's failures, and we obtain the company's own service records, which usually say more than the company would like.
Demand: We send the pest control company a formal demand letter. Many cases resolve at this stage.
Litigation, if needed: We file in Forrest County Circuit Court in downtown Hattiesburg, or Lamar County Circuit Court in Purvis for west-side and Oak Grove properties. Our office is minutes from both. Discovery and depositions follow, and most Mississippi cases resolve through mediation before trial.
What it costs you: Nothing up front. We work on contingency. Our fee comes out of any recovery, and there is no fee at all if we don't recover for you.
If you have a termite protection contract and have discovered damage, you may have a case. We've helped families throughout this area recover substantial damages from negligent pest control companies.
Call us at (601) 450-1715 or fill out our form for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
Get a Free Hattiesburg & Pine Belt Case EvaluationAnswers to the questions Hattiesburg homeowners ask us most.
You may have a case if a pest control company in Hattiesburg or Forrest County provided you with termite inspection, treatment, or bond services and termite damage developed anyway. Mississippi law allows homeowners to recover when a pest control company's negligence — including missed inspections, inadequate treatments, or false reports — results in damage to their property. The first step is a free case review where we evaluate your contract, the damage, and the company's conduct.
Termite damage cases for Hattiesburg homeowners are typically filed in Forrest County Circuit Court (also Lamar County for west-side homes). We litigate in this venue regularly and know how local judges and juries approach pest control negligence cases. Filing locally also makes the process less burdensome for you — depositions, hearings, and (if necessary) trial all happen close to home.
Mississippi's general statute of limitations for property damage claims is three years from the date you discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) the damage. The "discovery rule" matters here because termite damage is often hidden — Mississippi courts recognize that the clock typically starts when you first found out, not when the damage actually began. Because the timeline is fact-specific and missing it usually ends a case, you should speak to an attorney as soon as you suspect you have a claim.
Almost never. Standard homeowner's insurance policies in Mississippi explicitly exclude termite damage as "gradual deterioration" or "maintenance-related" damage. The good news: your pest control contract is usually the real source of recovery. If the company was negligent, their commercial liability insurance is what pays — and Mississippi law allows recovery for repair costs, diminished value, and in cases of bad faith, punitive damages.
No. A termite bond is a contract between you and the pest control company, and a contract that is not honored can absolutely be enforced through a lawsuit. Many bonds also limit the company's liability to "retreatment" rather than repair — but those limitations can often be challenged when the company has acted in bad faith or breached the underlying duty of care. Don't let a pest control company tell you "your bond doesn't cover this" without an independent review.
Possibly, on two fronts. If the seller knew about termite history or damage and answered otherwise on the Property Condition Disclosure Statement, you may have a concealment claim against the seller. If a pest control operator issued a clean termite letter for your closing over visible damage, you may have a claim against that company as well. The evidence usually comes from prior pest control service records for the address, the closing termite letter, and physical signs of cover-up. Deadlines run from discovery, so get the case reviewed promptly.
Mississippi's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires landlords to keep rental premises habitable and make required repairs. A landlord who ignores documented reports of termite activity may be in breach, and tenant remedies can include repair-and-deduct, lease termination, and damages for destroyed personal property. Tenants generally cannot recover the cost of repairing the building itself. Landlords whose pest control company failed them have the same claims against that company as any homeowner.
Every case is evaluated on its own merits — there is no standard figure, and any firm quoting one before reviewing your case is guessing. What we can tell you is what drives value: independent expert repair estimates (not the pest control company's lowball number), structural versus cosmetic damage, lost market value of your home, and whether the company's conduct rises to a level that supports punitive damages. Hattiesburg-area cases often involve Pine Belt humidity, century-old historic district properties, and the unique pressures of the Hub City's rapid growth, all of which can increase repair costs. The free case review is where we give you an honest read on your specific situation.