Question 1

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No more than two months' rent. Since Aug. 28, 2025, cities and counties may not set their own deposit caps (RSMo 441.043.2(3)).

Question 2

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Within 30 days after the tenancy ends: return the full deposit, or an itemized list of damages for any amount kept.

Question 3

How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering a rental in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) set no notice requirement for landlord entry (full-text search of the chapters).

Question 4

How much notice does a landlord need to give to raise the rent in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No Missouri statute sets a notice period for a rent increase. A month-to-month tenancy can be ended by written notice taking effect on a rent-paying date at least one month after the notice is received, so a landlord who wants new terms generally has to give that much notice. Fixed-term leases follow their terms.

Question 5

Can a landlord charge a late fee in Missouri, and how much?

Accepted Answer

Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) set no late-fee cap or rule (full-text search of the chapters).

Question 6

What notice does a landlord have to give before evicting for unpaid rent in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

For a rent-and-possession case, the landlord must have demanded the rent, and it must remain unpaid. The landlord then files a verified statement. No written notice period is required, and the § 441.060 notice is expressly not required before filing.

Question 7

Can cities in Missouri pass rent control?

Accepted Answer

Counties and cities may not enact, maintain or enforce ordinances that regulate the amount of rent for private residential or commercial property. Since Aug. 28, 2025 (HB 595 & 343), they also may not ban refusing tenants based on housing-assistance income, restrict screening criteria, cap security deposits, or require a tenant right of first refusal.

Question 8

How much notice is needed to end a month-to-month tenancy in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice that it ends on a periodic rent-paying date at least one month after the notice is received.

Question 9

Does a landlord have to pay interest on a security deposit in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No interest is owed to the tenant. Deposits (capped at two months' rent) must be held in a federally insured bank, credit union or depository institution, and any interest earned belongs to the landlord.

Question 10

Is a move-in or move-out inspection checklist required in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No move-in inspection is required. For the move-out inspection, the landlord must give reasonable written notice of its date and time, and the tenant has the right to be present.

Question 11

Is landlord retaliation illegal in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) contain no general anti-retaliation provision (full-text search of the chapters).

Question 12

Can a landlord change the locks or shut off utilities in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Removing or excluding a tenant or their belongings without a court order, removing doors or locks, or willfully interrupting electric, gas, water or sewer service is forcible entry and detainer under ch. 534. Interruptions for health or safety reasons are excepted.

Question 13

What can a tenant do if the landlord won't make repairs in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A tenant who has lived in the unit 6 months, is current on rent and has had every written lease-violation notice cured may use repair and deduct. It applies to a code violation affecting habitability, sanitation or security that costs less than $300 or half the rent (whichever is greater, up to one month's rent). The tenant gives written notice and 14 days to fix, then deducts the receipted cost.

Question 14

What disclosures must a landlord give tenants in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A landlord who knows a unit was used to produce methamphetamine must disclose that in writing to the prospective tenant. RSMo ch. 441 and 535 impose no other general lease disclosure requirement (full-text search).

Question 15

What can a landlord do with property a tenant leaves behind in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Premises are deemed abandoned if the landlord reasonably believes the tenant left, rent has been unpaid for 30 days, and the landlord posted and mailed (first-class and certified) the statutory notice. If the tenant does not respond in writing within 10 days, the landlord may remove and dispose of the property without liability.

Question 16

Can a tenant break a lease early for domestic violence or military service in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Servicemembers may end a residential lease after permanent change of station orders, temporary duty orders over 90 days at least 25 miles away, discharge or release from active duty, or orders to live in government quarters. They must give written notice effective at least 15 days after service, plus a copy of the orders or a signed letter from the commanding officer.

Question 17

Is there a grace period before a late fee can be charged in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) set no late-fee grace period (full-text search of the chapters).

Question 18

How does the eviction court process work in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

The summons must be served at least 4 days before the court date, which may be no more than 21 business days after the summons is issued unless the landlord agrees in writing to a later date.

Question 19

Can a tenant fix something and deduct it from rent in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A tenant with 6 months of on-time rent and no uncured violations may give written notice of a code violation costing less than $300 or half the rent (max one month's rent). If not fixed in 14 days, the tenant may have it done and deduct the cost with receipts, up to one month's rent per 12 months.

Question 20

What happens if a tenant stays after the lease ends in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A tenant who willfully holds over after the term ends, and after a written demand for possession, owes double the yearly value of the property for the time the owner is kept out.

Question 21

Does a landlord have to give notice before not renewing a lease in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

When a tenant holds over after a written lease ends, any renewal, extension or new agreement must be shown by a written contract; oral evidence of renewal isn't admissible in a possession suit.

Question 22

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application fee in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A search of the full text of RSMo ch. 441 (landlord and tenant) found no application-fee limit.

Question 23

Can a landlord refuse Section 8 or other source of income in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Cities and counties may not ban landlords from refusing tenants whose rent includes federal or other housing assistance, though local laws protecting recipients of veterans' benefits are still allowed. Missouri also has no state ban on source-of-income discrimination.

Question 24

Can a tenant withhold rent for repairs in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri gives tenants two receivership procedures, not a general right to withhold rent. If the owner of a master-metered building fails to pay for heat-related utilities, the utility or any tenant can petition the court for a receiver (441.650). If a building is a nuisance, the court can appoint a receiver and order rents paid to the receiver, and paying under that order is a defense to eviction for nonpayment (441.570, 441.580). Under 441.510, only a county, city, local housing corporation or neighborhood association can apply for the nuisance receiver.

Question 25

What happens to the lease when a tenant dies in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A search of the full text of RSMo ch. 441 found no provision on a residential tenant's death. The only death rules involve life tenants' rent.

Question 26

What is the pet deposits/fees & service/esa animals rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A deposit labeled as a pet deposit is not a security deposit under Missouri law, so the two-month cap and return rules for security deposits do not cover it. No other state rule on pet deposits was found in RSMo ch. 441 or 535 (full-text search). Assistance-animal rules come from fair housing law.

Question 27

What is the tenant relocation assistance rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A search of the full text of RSMo ch. 441 found no requirement for landlords to pay tenants relocation assistance. Government relocation programs, such as those for public projects, are in other laws not reviewed here.

Question 28

What is the rent receipts, payment methods & cash rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A search of the full text of RSMo ch. 441 found no rule requiring rent receipts, requiring or banning any payment method, or limiting payment fees. Unless otherwise agreed, rent is due at the time and place the parties agreed.

Question 29

Can a tenant sublet an apartment in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A tenant with a term of two years or less, or a tenant at will or by sufferance, may not assign or transfer the lease or any part of it without the landlord's written consent. Code text: "No tenant for a term not exceeding two years, or at will, or by sufferance, shall assign or transfer his term or interest, or any part thereof, to another without the written assent of the landlord."

Question 30

What is the right to cure / redeem rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

In a rent-and-possession case, if the tenant pays or brings into court all rent in arrears plus all costs on the date a money judgment is entered, the case stops. Paying the judgment and costs after trial but before the judgment becomes final stays the eviction. Code text: "all the rent then in arrears, and all the costs, further proceedings in the action shall cease and be stayed."

Question 31

What is the military lease termination (federal scra, all states) rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Federal law that applies in every state: under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a tenant may end a residential lease after entering military service, or after getting permanent-change-of-station orders or deployment orders of at least 90 days, by delivering written notice and a copy of the orders to the landlord. For a lease with monthly rent, termination takes effect 30 days after the next rent due date following delivery of the notice. Any state-specific rule on this page also applies. Code text: "The lessee on a lease described in subsection (b) may, at the lessee's option, terminate the lease at any time after" entering military service, the date of the military orders, or the date of a stop movement order (50 U.S.C. 3955(a)(1)(A)-(C)).

Question 32

What is the scra / military lease termination rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and full-time Missouri National Guard members, who qualify under subsection 1 (for example, because of orders or discharge) may end a residential lease. They must give the landlord written notice at least 15 days before the termination date, plus a copy of the orders. Code text: "Lessees who qualify to terminate a residential lease agreement pursuant to subsection 1 of this section shall do so by serving the lessor written notice of termination to be effective on a date stated thereon, which shall not be less than fifteen days after the date of such service" (RSMo 41.944.2).

Question 33

Can a landlord deny a tenant for criminal or credit history in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri bars counties and cities from enacting or enforcing ordinances that restrict a landlord's use of credit scores, credit reports, or criminal history (or that ban requesting that information) under the landlord's customary criteria. Federal fair-housing and FCRA rules still apply. Statute text: "Restricts a landlord's ability to use or consider income-qualifying methods, credit scores, credit reports, eviction or property damage history, or criminal history, according to such landlord's own customarily applied criteria" (RSMo § 441.043(2)(2)).

Question 34

What is the guest & occupancy limits rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri treats a two-persons-per-bedroom occupancy limit as presumed reasonable. The limit does not apply to children born to the tenants during the lease. Statute text: "An occupancy limitation of two persons per bedroom residing in a dwelling unit shall be presumed reasonable for this state. The two-person limitation shall not apply to a child or children born to the tenants during the course of the lease." (RSMo § 441.060(2)).

Question 35

What is the property manager licensing rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

In Missouri, renting or leasing real estate for others for compensation is real estate broker activity, and RSMo § 339.020 makes it unlawful to act as a broker without a license from the Real Estate Commission. The statute exempts limited tasks such as delivering or receiving lease applications. Statute text: "(1) Sells, exchanges, purchases, rents, or leases real estate; (2) Offers to sell, exchange, purchase, rent or lease real estate" (RSMo §§ 339.010, 339.020).

Question 36

What rights does a tenant have after foreclosure in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

After a Missouri foreclosure sale, the new owner must give a residential tenant who was in the property before the foreclosure written notice that the sale happened, who the new owner is, and that the tenant has at least 10 business days to move out. No eviction can be filed during those 10 business days. Missouri law does not create a tenancy with the new owner, but federal law (the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act) can give bona fide tenants more time. Statute text: "the new owner of the property shall give the occupant notice, as described in subsection 3 of this section, that the sale has occurred, that they are the new owner, and if said owner seeks possession from the occupant that the occupant has not less than ten business days from the date of this notice to vacate the premises" (RSMo § 534.030(2)-(3)).

Question 37

What is the rental / transient occupancy tax rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri's state sales tax of 4% applies to charges for rooms at hotels, motels, inns, tourist cabins and other places that regularly rent rooms to the public. Local sales and lodging taxes may add to it. Statute text: "A tax equivalent to four percent on the amount of sales or charges for all rooms, meals and drinks furnished at any hotel, motel, tavern, inn, restaurant, eating house, drugstore, dining car, tourist cabin, tourist camp or other place in which rooms, meals or drinks are regularly served to the public." (RSMo § 144.020.1(6)).

Question 38

What federal protections does a tenant have after foreclosure in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Federal law that applies in every state: under the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (made permanent in 2018), whoever takes over a home through foreclosure must give a bona fide tenant at least 90 days' notice to vacate. A tenant with a bona fide lease signed before the notice of foreclosure (the date title passes) can stay until the lease ends, unless the unit is sold to a buyer who will live there as a primary residence; that buyer must still give the 90-day notice. Month-to-month and at-will tenants also get the 90 days. A tenancy is bona fide only if the tenant is not the borrower or the borrower's child, spouse or parent, the deal was at arm's length, and the rent is not far below market (unless it is subsidized). State or local laws with longer notice or more protection still apply, and any state-specific rule on this page also applies. Statute text: "the provision, by such successor in interest of a notice to vacate to any bona fide tenant at least 90 days before the effective date of such notice" (Pub. L. 111-22, SEC. 702(a)(1)).

Question 39

What is the eviction notices for other grounds (lease violation, no-fault) rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

In Missouri, if a tenant violates a condition of a written lease, assigns or transfers the lease without the landlord's written consent, commits waste, or allows illegal uses such as gambling or the illegal possession, sale or distribution of controlled substances on the premises, the landlord can give 10 days' notice to vacate and then recover possession through the legal process. Statute text: "after giving ten days' notice to vacate the premises, shall have a right to reenter the premises and take possession of the premises" (RSMo §§ 441.020, 441.030, 441.040).

Question 40

What is the deposit bank holding / separate account rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri landlords must hold security deposits for the tenant in a federally insured bank, credit union or other depository institution. Any interest earned belongs to the landlord. Housing authorities and other government landlords are exempt from this rule. Statute text: "All security deposits shall be held by the landlord for the tenant, who is a party to the rental agreement, in a bank, credit union, or depository institution which is insured by an agency of the federal government." (RSMo § 535.300(2)).

Question 41

What is the domestic violence early termination rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

A tenant who was a victim, or in imminent danger of becoming a victim, of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, and who notified the landlord and gave any requested documentation, has an affirmative defense and owes no rent for the time after moving out. The landlord may charge a reasonable termination fee.

Question 42

Does Missouri have rent control?

Accepted Answer

Missouri bars counties and cities, including charter governments, from enacting, keeping or enforcing any ordinance that regulates the amount of rent for private residential or commercial rental property. There is no statewide rent control.

Question 43

What is the warranty of habitability in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No general statutory warranty of habitability was found in RSMo chapter 441. Section 441.234 gives a limited remedy for a condition that detrimentally affects habitability, sanitation or security and also violates a local housing or building code.

Question 44

What disclosures must a landlord give in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

If a rental property is or was used to produce methamphetamine, the landlord must disclose that in writing to the prospective tenant.

Question 45

Does a landlord have to provide smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No state statute requiring landlords to install smoke or carbon monoxide detectors was found in RSMo chapter 441 (landlord and tenant).

Question 46

What is the tenant buyout disclosures rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No state statute regulating tenant buyout agreements was found in RSMo chapter 441 (landlord and tenant).

Question 47

Does a landlord need just cause to evict in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No state statute requiring just cause to end a residential tenancy was found in RSMo chapter 441 (landlord and tenant).

Question 48

Do landlords need a rental license or registration in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No state statute requiring rental registration was found in RSMo chapter 441 (landlord and tenant).

Question 49

Can the city inspect my rental property in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No state statute creating a rental inspection program was found in RSMo chapter 441 (landlord and tenant).

Question 50

What are the Airbnb / short-term rental rules in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No state statute regulating short-term rentals was found in RSMo chapter 441 (landlord and tenant).

Question 51

What is the eviction record sealing rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

No state statute sealing eviction records was found in RSMo chapter 441 (landlord and tenant).

Question 52

How much does it cost to file an eviction in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Missouri court costs are set statewide under RSMo 488.012, and local surcharges and sheriff service fees are added, so the total to file an eviction varies by circuit. Example: St. Louis County (21st Circuit) requires a $53.50 deposit for rent and possession or unlawful detainer cases (chapters 534 and 535), plus sheriff fees.

Question 53

What is the condo conversion protections rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Under RSMo § 448.4-112, which applies to condominiums created within Missouri after September 28, 1983, a declarant of a condominium that contains conversion buildings, and any person in the business of selling real estate for his own account who intends to offer units in that condominium, must give each residential tenant and any residential subtenant in possession notice of the conversion no later than 120 days before the declarant will require those persons to vacate, and must also give them the original sale certificate not less than 60 days before the end of that 120-day period or not less than 60 days before they are required to vacate, whichever is later. A conversion building is a building that, at any time before creation of the condominium, was occupied wholly or partially by persons other than purchasers and persons who occupy with the consent of purchasers. The notice must set forth generally the rights of tenants and subtenants under § 448.4-112 and must be hand-delivered to each unit or mailed by prepaid United States mail to the tenant and subtenant at the address of each unit or any other mailing address provided by a tenant. It must be accompanied by any age, income, or other information form that the local government entity may provide to the declarant for data on low or moderate income tenants affected by the conversion. No tenant or subtenant may be required by the declarant to vacate on less than the later of 120 days' notice or 60 days after receipt of the original sale certificate, except for nonpayment of rent, waste, or conduct that disturbs other tenants' peaceful enjoyment of the premises, and the terms of the tenancy may not be altered during that period. Failure to give the required notice is a defense to an action for possession. If the notice specifies a date by which a unit or proposed unit must be vacated and otherwise complies with RSMo §§ 441.050 and 441.060, it also constitutes a notice to vacate under those sections. Nothing in § 448.4-112 permits termination of a lease by a declarant in violation of its terms. The declarant must also submit written notice of conversion to the department in charge of building codes, or the equivalent, in any incorporated city, town, or village where any portion of a building to be converted is located, at the time the tenant notice is given. For 60 days after delivery or mailing of the original sale certificate, the declarant must offer to convey each unit or proposed unit occupied for residential use to the tenant who leases that unit; if a low or moderate income tenant is seeking to purchase through a government assistance program, that period may be extended by mutual agreement. If the tenant does not purchase during that 60-day period, the declarant may not, during the following 180 days, offer to dispose of an interest in that unit at a price or on terms more favorable to the offeree than those offered to the tenant, unless the declarant first offers the tenant the same terms, after which the tenant has 10 days to accept or reject. That purchase offer does not apply if the unit will be restricted exclusively to nonresidential use or the boundaries of the converted unit do not substantially conform to the dimensions of the residential unit before conversion. If the declarant conveys a unit in violation of that offer rule to a purchaser for value who has no knowledge of the violation, recordation of a deed stating that the seller has complied extinguishes the tenant's right to purchase that unit but does not affect the tenant's right to recover damages from the declarant. Additional occupancy rights apply only as provided in § 448.4-112.3, and only in a condominium of six or more units used for residential purposes at any time during the 12 months immediately preceding the conversion notice. In such a condominium, no more than 10 percent of the total number of units, but not less than one unit in a condominium of six to ten units, with fractions rounded to the nearest whole, must be retained as rental units under that subsection. A low or moderate income elderly tenant (a person 68 or older whose annual net income is less than 80 percent of the HUD Section 8 area median income, and who occupies a conversion building) who is in the building on the date the conversion notice is submitted has the right to occupy the unit for a three-year period, with an option to renew for no more than four successive periods. A Disabled person (a person who meets the low or moderate income tenant income test and is totally and permanently disabled or blind and receiving federal Social Security disability benefits, federal SSI, veterans administration benefits, a state blind pension under RSMo §§ 209.010 to 209.160, state aid to the blind under § 209.240, or state supplemental payments under § 208.030) who is in the building on the date the notice is given has the right to occupy the unit for a one-year period, with an option to renew for no more than two successive periods. To exercise the right, the tenant must notify the declarant in writing within 30 days of receipt of the conversion notice. If that tenant dies after exercising the right, a surviving spouse who then qualifies as a low or moderate income elderly tenant or as Disabled succeeds to the right on the same terms and with the same obligations; the rights end on abandonment of the unit or on the death of the tenant or successor. Those rights may be waived in a written agreement with the declarant or successor unit owner only if the conversion notice fully and completely discloses the rights and obligations, including that they apply only to conversion buildings of six or more units, the limit on the number of units that must be retained, the rent the tenant will owe, and the qualification requirements for Missouri Housing Development Commission financing. Rent for a retained unit may not exceed carrying costs, a replacement reserve, real property taxes, a return on equity of not more than 10 percent per year, and the portion of common expenses and insurance allocable to the unit. A declarant who retains such a unit may apply to the Commission for financial assistance; the declarant has no obligation, and the tenant has no rights, under subsection 3 if financial assistance in an amount sufficient to limit the tenant's rental obligation to 30 percent of the tenant's annual gross income is unavailable. Section 448.4-112 is not among the chapter 448 sections that § 448.1-102.1 also applies to condominiums created before September 28, 1983. Sections 448.1-101 to 448.4-120 do not apply to condominiums or units located outside Missouri, except that the original sale certificate provisions apply to contracts for disposition of such units signed in Missouri by any party. Section 448.4-106 requires extra statements in the original sale certificate for a condominium containing a conversion building with residential units. That is a purchaser-disclosure rule and is not a tenant purchase right; it is not summarized here as a tenant protection. Example: a residential tenant who is not a low or moderate income elderly tenant or Disabled, as those terms are defined in § 448.1-103, cannot be required to leave solely because of the conversion until the later of 120 days after the conversion notice or 60 days after receiving the original sale certificate, unless the tenant has failed to pay rent, committed waste, or engaged in conduct that disturbs other tenants' peaceful enjoyment of the premises.

Question 54

What is the manufactured / mobile home parks rule in Missouri?

Accepted Answer

Under RSMo § 441.060.4(2), when a person occupies and has an ownership interest in a mobile home and is leasing the land or lot on which the home is located, a tenancy for less than one year may be terminated by the landlord only by written notice that the tenancy will end not sooner than 60 days from the date the rent payment next becomes due, even if a written lease says an earlier termination is allowed. That rule is an exception to the ordinary month-to-month rule in § 441.060.4(1), under which either party may end the tenancy by written notice stating that it ends on a periodic rent-paying date not less than one month after the notice is received. Separately, RSMo § 700.600 applies to a manufactured or mobile home land lease community, defined as any area, lot, parcel, or tract held in common ownership on which individual portions are leased for the placement of manufactured or mobile homes as a primary residence. In that setting, a landlord must give written notice to all of the community's tenants who own their manufactured or mobile homes at least 120 days before requiring those tenants to vacate because of a change in use of the property. If more than 120 days remain on a current lease, the longer period applies. The landlord may not increase the rent, except for an increase based solely on an increase in property taxes, during the 60 days before giving that notice or at any time after giving it. Section 700.600 does not prohibit a landlord from evicting a tenant with less than 120 days' notice for a reason other than a change in use of the property. Section 700.600 cross-references § 700.115 for penalties; subsection 2 of § 700.115 authorizes a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for each violation of any provision of chapter 700, with a maximum of $1 million for a related series of violations within one year of the first violation, and subsection 1 of that section (attorney general enforcement under § 407.020 and possible revocation of a registration certificate) is scoped to §§ 700.010 to 700.115. Chapter 441's official cross-references also point to §§ 700.525 to 700.541 for the rights of a property owner and lienholder when a manufactured home is abandoned on rented real property. Those abandonment, lien, and title procedures are a separate topic and are not summarized here. Example: if a tenant who owns a mobile home rents the lot on a month-to-month basis with rent due on the first of the month, and the landlord delivers a written termination notice on March 10, the tenancy may not end sooner than 60 days after the next rent due date of April 1, even if the written lease calls for a shorter notice. That 60-day lot-tenancy rule does not by itself set the notice period when the landlord is ending the tenancy because of a change in use of the community, which is governed by § 700.600.

Missouri landlord-tenant law FAQ