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Renting in Missouri

Your rights as a tenant in Missouri

In Missouri, the security deposit can be up to 2 months of rent. What state law says about your deposit, the notices you must get, repairs and eviction. Every rule comes with its citation and the text of the law.

The rules, one by oneFree or low-cost legal help
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Maximum deposit
Up to 2 months of rent
Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300.1
To return your deposit
30 days
Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300.3

A summary of state law, not legal advice. Cities may have additional rules.

What the law says

The rules, one by one

The basic rules for renting in Missouri, answered with state law and its citation.

Tap “What the law says” to read the exact text and see where it comes from.

  1. How much can they charge for a deposit?

    Up to 2 months of rent

    In Missouri, a landlord cannot ask for or accept a security deposit of more than two months' rent.

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300.1
    “A landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit in excess of two months' rent.”

    Source: Missouri Legislature – Revisor of Statutes (Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo) · Verified on October 24, 2026

  2. When must they return my deposit?

    30 days

    Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord must return your full deposit. If the landlord keeps part or all of it, the landlord must give you a written itemized list of the damages, along with the rest of the deposit. Mailing the list and any money to your last known address counts.

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300.3
    “Within thirty days after the date of termination of the tenancy, the landlord shall: (1) Return the full amount of the security deposit; or (2) Furnish to the tenant a written itemized list of the damages for which the security deposit or any portion thereof is withheld, along with the balance of the security deposit. The landlord shall have complied with this subsection by mailing such statement and any payment to the last known address of the tenant.”

    Source: Missouri Legislature – Revisor of Statutes (Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo) · Verified on October 24, 2026

  3. If I fall behind on rent, what notice must I get?

    In Missouri, the landlord can file a rent and possession case (eviction for nonpayment) when rent is due, the landlord has demanded it, and you have not paid. The one-month notice of section 441.060 is not needed for this case. This law sets no number of days between the demand for rent and the filing.

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.020
    “Whenever any rent has become due and payable, and payment has been demanded by the landlord or the landlord's agent from the lessee or person occupying the premises, and payment thereof has not been made, the landlord or agent may file a statement, verified by affidavit, with any associate circuit judge in the county in which the property is situated, setting forth the terms on which such property was rented, and the amount of rent actually due to such landlord; that the rent has been demanded from the tenant, lessee or person occupying the premises, and that payment has not been made, and substantially describing the property rented or leased. Giving the notice provided in section 441.060 is not required prior to filing a statement or obtaining the relief provided in this chapter.”

    Source: Missouri Legislature – Revisor of Statutes (Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo) · Verified on October 24, 2026

  4. How much notice ends a month-to-month rental?

    To end a month-to-month rental in Missouri, the landlord or the tenant must give the other a written notice. The tenancy ends on a rent due date at least one month after the other person receives the notice.

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §441.060.4(1)
    “Except as provided in subdivision (2), the landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by a written notice given to the other party stating that the tenancy shall terminate upon a periodic rent-paying date not less than one month after the receipt of the notice.”

    Source: Missouri Legislature – Revisor of Statutes (Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo) · Verified on October 24, 2026

Protections

Protections the law gives you

We show only what state law says, with its citation. Your city may give you more protections.

  • Only a court order can remove you

    Yes: state law says so

    In Missouri, the landlord cannot remove you or your belongings from the home, lock you out, or take off the doors or locks without judicial process and a court order. A landlord who does is treated by law as guilty of forcible entry and detainer. The only exception is the law's procedure for an abandoned home.

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §441.233.1
    “Except as provided in section 441.065, a landlord or its agent who removes or excludes a tenant or the tenant's personal property from the premises without judicial process and court order, or causes such removal or exclusion, or causes the removal of the doors or locks to such premises, shall be deemed guilty of forcible entry and detainer as described in chapter 534.”

    Missouri Legislature – Revisor of Statutes (Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo)

  • Repair and deduct from the rent

    Yes: state law says so

    If your home has a condition that harms its habitability, sanitation or security and also violates a local housing or building code, you may tell the landlord you will fix it at the landlord's expense. The repair must cost less than $300 or half the rent (whichever is greater), and never more than one month's rent. If the landlord does not fix it within 14 days after your written notice (or sooner in an emergency), you may have the work done and deduct the actual cost from rent, after giving the landlord an itemized statement with receipts. This applies only if you have lawfully lived there for six months in a row, paid all rent and charges in that time, and did not get a written notice from the landlord in that time about a lease or house-rule violation that you did not fix.

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §441.234.1-.2
    “The provisions of this section shall apply only to a tenant who has lawfully resided on the rental premises for six consecutive months, has paid all rent and charges due the landlord during that time, and did not during that time receive any written notice from the landlord of any violation of any lease provision or house rule, which violation was not subsequently cured. 2. If there exists a condition on residential premises which detrimentally affects the habitability, sanitation or security of the premises, and the condition constitutes a violation of a local municipal housing or building code, and the reasonable cost to correct the condition is less than three hundred dollars, or one-half of the periodic rent, whichever is greater, provided that the cost may not exceed one month's rent, the tenant may notify the landlord of the tenant's intention to correct the condition at the landlord's expense. If the landlord fails to correct the condition within fourteen days after being notified by the tenant in writing or as promptly as required in case of an emergency, the tenant may cause the work to be done in a workmanlike manner and, after submitting to the landlord an itemized statement, including receipts, deduct from the rent the actual and reasonable cost of the work, as documented by the receipts, not exceeding the amount specified in this subsection;”

    Missouri Legislature – Revisor of Statutes (Revised Statutes of Missouri, RSMo)

Eviction

How an eviction works in Missouri

Step by step, with the time periods the law sets. No landlord can skip the court.

Compare with other states

  1. Landlord demands the unpaid rent

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.020
    “Whenever any rent has become due and payable, and payment has been demanded by the landlord or the landlord's agent from the lessee or person occupying the premises, and payment thereof has not been made”

    revisor.mo.gov

  2. Landlord files the case in court

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.020
    “the landlord or agent may file a statement, verified by affidavit, with any associate circuit judge in the county in which the property is situated”

    revisor.mo.gov

  3. Summons sets the court date

    up to 21 business days

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.030.1
    “The summons shall include a court date which shall not be more than twenty-one business days from the date the summons is issued unless at the time of filing the affidavit the plaintiff or plaintiff's attorney consents in writing to a later date.”

    revisor.mo.gov

  4. Summons is served on you

    at least 4 days

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.030.1
    “Such summons shall be served as in other civil cases at least four days before the court date in the summons.”

    revisor.mo.gov

  5. Court hearing

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.040.1
    “Upon the return of the summons executed, the judge shall set the case on the first available court date and shall proceed to hear the cause”

    revisor.mo.gov

  6. Judgment

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.040.1
    “the judge shall render judgment that the landlord recover the possession of the premises so rented or leased, and also the debt for the amount of the rent then due, with all court costs”

    revisor.mo.gov

  7. 10 days to move to set aside or apply for a trial de novo

    up to 10 days

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.030.4
    “The defendant has ten days from the date of the judgment to file a motion to set aside the judgment or to file an application for a trial de novo and unless the judgment is set aside or an application for a trial de novo is filed within ten days, the judgment for possession will become final and the defendant will be subject to eviction from the premises without further notice.”

    revisor.mo.gov

  8. Officer delivers possession to the landlord

    up to 5 days

    What the law says · Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.040.1
    “The officer shall deliver possession of the property to the landlord within five days from the time of receiving the execution”

    revisor.mo.gov

Frequently asked questions

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

In Missouri, a landlord cannot ask for or accept a security deposit of more than two months' rent. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300.1)

When must a deposit be returned in Missouri?

Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord must return your full deposit. If the landlord keeps part or all of it, the landlord must give you a written itemized list of the damages, along with the rest of the deposit. Mailing the list and any money to your last known address counts. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300.3)

What notice is required for late rent in Missouri?

In Missouri, the landlord can file a rent and possession case (eviction for nonpayment) when rent is due, the landlord has demanded it, and you have not paid. The one-month notice of section 441.060 is not needed for this case. This law sets no number of days between the demand for rent and the filing. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.020)

How much notice ends a month-to-month rental in Missouri?

To end a month-to-month rental in Missouri, the landlord or the tenant must give the other a written notice. The tenancy ends on a rent due date at least one month after the other person receives the notice. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §441.060.4(1))

A summary of state law, not legal advice. Cities may have additional rules.

Pending

What is left to verify

We have not yet verified these Missouri rules in the law with their citation, so we do not show them. If you need them today, ask for free legal aid.

  • Are there limits on late fees? Not verified yet
  • How much notice before a rent increase? Not verified yet
  • Protection from retaliation Not verified yet
  • Protection related to immigration status Not verified yet