Missouri landlord-tenant law FAQ
34 answers to common Missouri landlord questions. Every answer is a verified fact with its official source and last-checked date.
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Missouri?
No more than two months' rent.
Verified Source: RSMo § 535.300(1) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full security deposit limit page
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Missouri?
Within 30 days after the tenancy ends: return the full deposit, or an itemized list of damages for any amount kept.
Verified Source: RSMo § 535.300(3) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full deposit return deadline page
How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering a rental in Missouri?
Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) set no notice requirement for landlord entry (full chapters read).
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441, 535 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full notice to enter page
How much notice does a landlord need to give to raise the rent in Missouri?
For a month-to-month (oral) tenancy, rent can be raised with one month's notice: a full calendar month that includes a full rental period. Fixed-term leases follow their terms.
Verified Source: Missouri Attorney General, Missouri's Landlord-Tenant Law (rev. Sept. 2025) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full rent increase notice page
Can a landlord charge a late fee in Missouri, and how much?
Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) set no late-fee cap or rule (full chapters read).
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441, 535 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full late fees page
What notice does a landlord have to give before evicting for unpaid rent in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 535.020 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full eviction notice (nonpayment) page
Can cities in Missouri pass rent control?
Counties and cities may not enact, maintain or enforce ordinances regulating the amount of rent for private residential or commercial property. Source-of-income and certain screening ordinances are also barred.
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.043 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full rent control / state preemption page
How much notice is needed to end a month-to-month tenancy in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.060(1), (4)(1) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full ending a month-to-month tenancy page
Does a landlord have to pay interest on a security deposit in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 535.300(1)–(2) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full interest on deposits page
Is a move-in or move-out inspection checklist required in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 535.300(5) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full move-in/move-out checklist page
Is landlord retaliation illegal in Missouri?
Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) contain no general anti-retaliation provision (full chapters read).
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441, 535 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full retaliation protections page
Can a landlord change the locks or shut off utilities in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.233 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full lockouts and utility shutoffs page
What can a tenant do if the landlord won't make repairs in Missouri?
A tenant who has lived in the unit 6 months, is current on rent and has no uncured violation notices 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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.234 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full repairs and habitability remedies page
What disclosures must a landlord give tenants in Missouri?
Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) impose no lease disclosure requirements (full chapters read). RSMo § 442.606's methamphetamine disclosure applies only to sales and transfers of real property, not leases. Federal lead-paint disclosure still applies to pre-1978 housing.
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441, 535; § 442.606 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full required lease disclosures page
What can a landlord do with property a tenant leaves behind in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.065 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full abandoned property page
Can a tenant break a lease early for domestic violence or military service in Missouri?
The Missouri AG guide (Sept. 2025) says active-duty service members may end a lease with 15 days' notice on a permanent change of station, temporary duty orders 25 or more miles away for 90 or more days, discharge or release from active duty, or an order to live in government quarters.
Verified Source: Missouri AG, Missouri's Landlord-Tenant Law (rev. Sept. 2025) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full early termination (dv/military) page
Is there a grace period before a late fee can be charged in Missouri?
Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes (RSMo ch. 441 and 535) set no late-fee grace period (full chapters read).
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441, 535 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full late fee grace period page
How does the eviction court process work in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 535.030 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full eviction court process & timeline page
Can a tenant fix something and deduct it from rent in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.234 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full repair and deduct page
What happens if a tenant stays after the lease ends in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.080 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full holdover tenants page
Does a landlord have to give notice before not renewing a lease in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.120 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full lease renewal / non-renewal notice page
How much can a landlord charge for a rental application fee in Missouri?
A search of the full text of RSMo ch. 441 (landlord and tenant) found no application-fee limit.
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441 (searched in full) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full application fees & screening page
Can a landlord refuse Section 8 or other source of income in Missouri?
Missouri's fair housing section protects race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability and familial status. Source of income is not on the list, so there is no state ban on refusing Section 8. Check local ordinances.
Verified Source: RSMo § 213.040 · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full source of income discrimination page
Can a tenant withhold rent for repairs in Missouri?
A search of the full text of RSMo ch. 441 found no rent-escrow or rent-withholding procedure.
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441 (searched in full) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full rent withholding / escrow page
What happens to the lease when a tenant dies in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441 (searched in full) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full death of a tenant page
What is the pet deposits/fees & service/esa animals rule in Missouri?
A search of the full text of RSMo ch. 441 found no separate rule on pet deposits or pet fees, so any pet deposit falls under the general security-deposit rules in that law. Assistance-animal rules are in fair-housing law, which this site has not reviewed for this topic.
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441 (searched in full) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full pet deposits/fees & service/esa animals page
What is the tenant relocation assistance rule in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441 (searched in full) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full tenant relocation assistance page
What is the rent receipts, payment methods & cash rule in Missouri?
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.
Verified Source: RSMo ch. 441 (searched in full) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full rent receipts, payment methods & cash page
Can a tenant sublet an apartment in Missouri?
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."
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.030 · last checked 2026-10-16 · Full subletting & assignment page
What is the right to cure / redeem rule in Missouri?
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."
Verified Source: RSMo § 535.160 · last checked 2026-10-16 · Full right to cure / redeem page
What is the military lease termination (federal scra, all states) rule in Missouri?
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."
Verified Source: 50 U.S.C. § 3955 (federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) · last checked 2026-10-16 · Full military lease termination (federal scra, all states) page
What is the scra / military lease termination rule in Missouri?
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).
Verified Source: RSMo 41.944.2 · last checked 2026-10-16 · Full scra / military lease termination page
Can a landlord deny a tenant for criminal or credit history in Missouri?
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)).
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.043(2)(2) · last checked 2026-10-16 · Full criminal & credit history rules page
What is the guest & occupancy limits rule in Missouri?
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)).
Verified Source: RSMo § 441.060(2) · last checked 2026-10-16 · Full guest & occupancy limits page
Missouri cities with their own rules
- Belton landlord rules
- Branson landlord rules
- Cape Girardeau landlord rules
- Columbia landlord rules
- Ferguson landlord rules
- Hannibal landlord rules
- Independence landlord rules
- Kansas City landlord rules
- Mountain Grove landlord rules
- Springfield landlord rules
- St. Louis landlord rules
- Sunset Hills landlord rules
All Missouri landlord-tenant law
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