Missouri landlord-tenant law.
Updated August 2026. State law bars any city or county from adopting rent control, capping deposits, or restricting income based tenant screening (RSMo 441.043, amended 2025).
2 months' rent maximum (RSMo 535.300).
Landlord must return the deposit or send an itemized list of damages within 30 days of move out; wrongfully withholding any part of the deposit makes the landlord liable for twice the amount withheld plus costs (RSMo 535.300).
No statutory notice or cure period before filing a rent and possession suit for nonpayment; the landlord may sue once rent is due and unpaid unless the lease itself requires notice (RSMo 535.010).
No Missouri statute sets a required notice period for landlord entry; there is no state law requiring advance notice, so the lease should specify reasonable entry terms.
Security deposits
Deposit limit. 2 months' rent maximum (RSMo 535.300).
Getting it back. Landlord must return the deposit or send an itemized list of damages within 30 days of move out; wrongfully withholding any part of the deposit makes the landlord liable for twice the amount withheld plus costs (RSMo 535.300).
Late fees and rent
No statutory cap or required grace period; late fees must be reasonable and stated in the lease. A separate statewide bad check fee cap ($25 on amounts under $100, $50 on $100 to $250) applies if rent is paid by a check that bounces (RSMo 570.120).
Ending a tenancy
Nonpayment of rent. No statutory notice or cure period before filing a rent and possession suit for nonpayment; the landlord may sue once rent is due and unpaid unless the lease itself requires notice (RSMo 535.010).
Month-to-month termination. One month's written notice by either party, effective on a rent paying date (RSMo 441.060).
Landlord entry
No Missouri statute sets a required notice period for landlord entry; there is no state law requiring advance notice, so the lease should specify reasonable entry terms.
Required disclosures
- Federal lead based paint disclosure and EPA pamphlet for units built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. 4852d, 24 CFR Part 35)
- Missouri has no additional statewide mandatory lease disclosure statute; some cities such as Kansas City and St. Louis add their own registration or disclosure ordinances
Lease clauses that do not hold up
- Clauses waiving the landlord's security deposit obligations under RSMo 535.300 are void as against public policy; courts treat the deposit statute as a strict consumer protection law
- Self help eviction is prohibited: landlords cannot shut off utilities, remove doors or locks, or remove a tenant's belongings without a court order
Notes for landlords
Missouri is unusually landlord friendly on process: there is no statutory pre suit notice for nonpayment and no statewide entry notice rule, so lease language carries more legal weight than in most states. The 2025 amendment to RSMo 441.043 also blocks cities from restricting tenant screening criteria such as credit or eviction history checks.
Sources
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.300
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.010
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.043
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.030
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=442.606
- https://innago.com/missouri-landlord-tenant-laws/
- https://www.leaserunner.com/laws/missouri-security-deposit-law
- https://www.alpinekansascity.com/2026/02/23/missouri-security-deposit-rules-the-30-day-deadline-mistake-that-cost-one-kc-landlord-double/
This guide is general legal information for landlords, not legal advice. Statutes change and local ordinances can add stricter rules on top of state law. Confirm any requirement with the current statute or a licensed attorney in your state before acting on it.
Run your Missouri rentals on Sahab Key.
Collect rent and track leases for two dollars a unit a month, with a fifty dollar monthly minimum.