A Missouri rental agreement is a legal contract between a landlord overseeing a rental property and a tenant using the property. Missouri landlord-tenant law governs and regulates these agreements.
Missouri Rental Agreement Types
A Missouri roommate agreement is a legal contract between two or more people (“co-tenants”) who share a rental property according to rules they set, including for things like splitting the rent. This agreement binds the co-tenants living together, and doesn’t include the landlord.
Missouri Required Residential Lease Disclosures
- Landlord’s Name and Address (required for all leases ) – Missouri leases must provide the landlord’s name and address, or that of their authorized agent. This allows required communication (for example, about repairs) to happen in a smooth way. Typically includes additional contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses.
- Methamphetamine Contamination Disclosure (required for some leases) – Missouri leases must disclose any actual knowledge relating to production, use, or storage of methamphetamine on the rental property.
- Lead-Based Paint Disclosures (required for some leases) – Landlords must provide an EPA-approved disclosure and informational pamphlet to tenants renting any property built before 1978.
To learn more about required disclosures in Missouri, click here.
Missouri Landlord Tenant Laws
- Warranty of Habitability – Missouri landlords can only rent out habitable property. This means providing certain basic health and safety features like heat, plumbing, and electricity. Landlords must repair any issues within reasonable time after proper notice from the tenant. Failure to repair lets a tenant withhold rent through court escrow, or repair and deduct from the rent.
- Evictions – Missouri landlords may evict for rent default, lease violations, or illegal acts, among other things. Before filing eviction, they must serve tenants with prior notice to pay or quit, depending on the eviction type. This means most evictions in Missouri take between about a week, to a little over a month.
- Security Deposits – Missouri limits security deposits to twice the cost of rent. When a lease ends, a landlord has 30 days to return any unused portion of a tenant’s security deposit.
- Lease Termination – Missouri lets tenants end a month-to-month lease with one month of advance notice. Terminating a fixed-term lease usually requires active military duty, landlord harassment, uninhabitable property, or domestic abuse.
- Rent Increases and Fees – Missouri doesn’t limit the amount or timing of a rent increase. Late fees are capped at $20 or 20% of the monthly rent (whichever is greater). Bounced check fees have a $25 cap, plus any actual fees charged by the depositing institution.
- Landlord Entry – Missouri landlords may enter rental property for reasonable business purposes, like maintenance and inspections. Unless it’s an emergency, the must enter at reasonable times with reasonable advance notice (by custom, at least 24 hours).
- Settling Legal Disputes – Missouri lets small claims courts decide landlord-tenant disputes, as long as the amount in controversy is under $5,000. Small claims does not have the power to decide evictions. Most landlord-tenant issues fall under contract law, which has a 10-year statute of limitations (5 years, for oral contracts).
To learn more about landlord tenant laws in Missouri, click here.
Sources
- 1 Mo. Rev. Stat. § 570.120.6(2)
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If a check that is dishonored or returned unpaid by a financial institution is not referred to the prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney for any action pursuant to the provisions of this section, the party to whom the check was issued, or his or her agent or assignee, or a holder, may collect from the issuer, in addition to the face amount of the check, a reasonable service charge, not to exceed twenty-five dollars, plus an amount equal to the actual charge by the depository institution for the return of each unpaid or dishonored instrument.
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