Missouri landlord and tenant rules

Seayora publishes 7 Missouri rules, covering security deposits, notice periods, rent regulation, fair housing, repairs, contractor sales tax. Every one is composed from the statute it cites and links to that statute on the state’s own code site.

Missouri at a glance

RuleMissouri
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Missouri?30 days
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Missouri?2 months of rent
How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Missouri?30 days
Is there rent control in Missouri?Prohibited by state law
Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Missouri?Not protected; local protections barred
Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in Missouri?Up to $300 or half a month’s rent, whichever is greater
Do contractors charge sales tax in Missouri?Consumer of materials

Security deposits in Missouri

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

In Missouri, a landlord has 30 days after the tenancy ends to return the security deposit, together with an itemised statement of any deductions. This is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

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

In Missouri, a security deposit is capped at 2 months of rent. Two months' rent. This is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Notice periods in Missouri

How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Missouri?

In Missouri, a landlord must give 30 days written notice to end a tenancy or decline to renew it. This is Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 441.060, 535.010.

One month's written notice ends a month-to-month tenancy, ending on a rent day not less than a month after the tenant receives it. Missouri sets no fixed pay-or-quit period: a landlord must demand the rent before filing a rent-and-possession action under Chapter 535, but no statutory waiting period follows the demand. There is no entry-notice statute and no rent-increase notice statute.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Rent regulation in Missouri

Is there rent control in Missouri?

No. Missouri has no statewide rent control, and its cities and counties cannot simply adopt their own: no county or city, including one with a charter, may enact, maintain or enforce an ordinance or resolution that regulates the amount of rent charged for privately owned residential or commercial rental property. Since August 28, 2025, the same section also bars local laws that make landlords rent to a tenant whose income includes housing assistance, that restrict their use of income, credit, eviction or criminal history in screening, that limit the security deposit, or that give tenants a right of first refusal. This is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.043.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Fair housing in Missouri

Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Missouri?

Yes. Missouri has no statewide law requiring landlords to accept housing vouchers, and its cities and counties cannot require it either: no county or city may enact, maintain or enforce an ordinance that prohibits a landlord from refusing to rent to a person because the person’s lawful source of income to pay rent includes funding from a federal or other housing assistance program. The ban took effect on August 28, 2025; it does not stop a local law that protects veterans’ benefits. Federal law leaves the voucher program voluntary for most landlords, but a property financed with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits may not refuse a tenant because they hold a voucher. This is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.043.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Repairs in Missouri

Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in Missouri?

Yes, within limits. In Missouri, a tenant who has lived in the unit for six months, paid all rent and had no uncured lease violation notice may, if a code violation affecting habitability is not fixed within 14 days after written notice, have the work done and deduct the cost, up to $300 or half a month’s rent, whichever is greater, but never more than one month’s rent. If the landlord disputes the need in writing, the tenant needs the city’s written certification of a code violation first, and deductions may not exceed one month’s rent in any 12 months. Each step has to be followed as the statute sets it out, including the written notice and the waiting period, or the deduction can be treated as unpaid rent. This is Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.234.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Contractor sales tax in Missouri

Do contractors charge sales tax in Missouri?

In Missouri a contractor is treated as the CONSUMER of the materials they build into real property. That means the contractor pays sales tax when they buy the materials, and does not add sales tax to the customer's invoice for that work — the tax is already inside the price. Missouri also has county, city or special-district rates on top of the state rate, so the rate depends on where the job site is, not where the contractor is based. Source: Mo. Rev. Stat. §144.020; 12 CSR 10-112.010 (contractors are the final users of materials incorporated into real property).

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Sources

  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.043
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.234
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. §144.020; 12 CSR 10-112.010 (contractors are the final users of materials incorporated into real property).
  • Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 441.060, 535.010

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

This is a summary of a state’s published guidance, not tax or legal advice. Rates and rules change, local jurisdictions add their own, and the treatment of a specific job depends on the contract and the work. Check the citation and speak to a CPA or a state tax adviser before relying on it.

How Seayora uses these rules

Security deposits. Seayora computes the deadline this rule sets from the tenancy’s own dates, shows it on the deposit statement, and reminds the landlord before it falls due — so the answer above is not reference material sitting beside the product, it is the rule the product enforces.

Notice periods. Seayora computes the notice this rule requires from the tenancy’s own dates — for a renewal offer, a rent increase or a served notice — and will not serve one that is short unless the owner records a reason. The answer above is the rule the product enforces.

Rent regulation. This page states whether the state lets its cities control rent, and any statewide limit on an increase, so a renewal can be checked before it is offered. In New York City, Seayora’s rent-increase advisor goes further: it computes the highest increase the Rent Guidelines Board order and the Good Cause standard allow for each apartment, with the law cited, and gives no number where the law is not verified.

Fair housing. This page states whether the state protects renters who pay with a housing voucher, so a listing and its screening rules can be checked against it before they are published. Seayora’s rental search assistant never filters homes by how a renter will pay the rent.

Repairs. Every deadline on this page runs from the tenant’s notice. A repair request filed in Seayora keeps the date it was made and every update after it, on the website and both phone apps, so owner and tenant are working from the same date.

Contractor sales tax. Seayora resolves this rule on every invoice a contractor raises — per line, from the job site’s own address — and prints the rate, the jurisdiction and this citation on the document itself, so the estimate a customer accepts is the invoice they are billed. Where the rule is more nuanced than a single answer, Seayora refuses to guess a total rather than quoting a confident wrong one.

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