A simple way to earn a little extra income is renting out a room in your Missouri home. However, only if you set it up the right way. A room rental agreement in Missouri helps you lay out the rules, protect your space, and make sure both you and your tenant know what to expect from day one.
Just like a standard Missouri lease agreement, a room rental contract should include:
- Responsibilities for both the landlord and tenant.
- Rent, deposits, and how payments work.
- Required disclosures under Missouri law.
- House rules and shared-space expectations.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the laws and best practices that shape room rentals in Missouri so you can create a clear, compliant agreement that makes sharing your home smoother for everyone.
Room Rental Laws
Missouri landlord-tenant laws set the rules for how landlords and tenants must treat each other and how rental relationships work in practice. These laws apply whether you’re renting a whole home or just a room, and they help ensure everyone knows their rights and responsibilities.
Under Missouri law, landlords must provide:
- A safe, habitable room that meets basic health and safety standards.
- Essential services, like heat, hot and cold water, plumbing, and electricity.
- Required disclosures.
- Proper handling of security deposits.
- Timely repairs to keep the room and shared areas livable.
- Well-maintained common spaces in shared homes, such as kitchens and bathrooms.
- A legal eviction process, if removal becomes necessary.
- Respect for tenant privacy, with reasonable notice before non-emergency entry.
Different Types of Room Rental Agreements in Missouri
In Missouri, you can rent out a room under a few different types of agreements, depending on how much flexibility and structure you want.
Verbal agreement: The state allows verbal room rental agreements in Missouri, but they can be hard to enforce if there’s a dispute.
Fixed-term lease: A fixed-term room rental lasts for a set period, such as 6 months or 1 year. It gives both the landlord and tenant stability because rent and rules stay the same until the term ends.
Month-to-month lease: A month-to-month lease agreement renews each month. Either party can end it with proper written notice.
The right type of lease comes down to how long you expect the arrangement to last and how much flexibility you want built into the agreement.
Required Landlord Disclosures
Missouri rental property owners must share three important disclosures with tenants before the start of a room rental.
Landlord name and address: Always list the landlord’s (or property manager’s) name and address in the agreement so the tenant knows who to contact for notices, repairs, or legal matters (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.185).
Lead-based paint: If the rental home’s construction was before 1978, the landlord must give tenants the federal lead-based paint disclosure and pamphlet so they understand the potential risk.
Methamphetamine contamination: Missouri law requires that the landlord disclose if meth was ever made or stored on the property (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.236).
Security Deposit Rules
Maximum security deposit: Missouri caps security deposits at no more than 2 months’ rent, so landlords can’t ask for anything above that limit (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300(1)).
Deduction tracking: After the tenant moves out of the room, landlords can deduct for unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, or other allowed costs. However, they must keep track and list each deduction in writing (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300(3)(2)).
Security deposit return: Landlords must return the deposit, or send an itemized list of deductions, along with any remaining balance, within 30 days after the tenancy ends (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300(3)).
Pet deposits: Missouri law doesn’t include pet deposits in the definition of a security deposit. Landlords can charge a separate pet deposit if it’s in the lease, but they must clearly explain the terms.
Rent Payment Rules
Pet rent: Landlords in Missouri can charge pet rent if the lease says so. However, service animals and emotional support animals aren’t pets, so landlords can’t charge pet rent for them.
Grace period: Missouri law doesn’t require a grace period for rent payments.
Late rent fees: The state doesn’t cap late fees.
Right to withhold rent: In most cases, tenants must keep paying rent even if repairs are outstanding. As a tenant, use written notice or legal remedies to demand fixes rather than stopping rent payments.
Rent Payment Increase Rules
Rent control/stabilization: Missouri doesn’t have statewide rent control or rent stabilization laws. Therefore, rental property owners can set and adjust rent as the market allows.
Rent payment increase maximum: The State law also doesn’t cap how much landlords can raise rent.
Rent payment increase frequency: Landlords can only raise rent when a lease term ends or, for a month-to-month room rental agreement in Missouri, give at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rental period begins.
Missouri Room Rental Agreement Breaches
Lease violations: If a tenant uses the room for illegal drug activity, Missouri law allows the landlord to give a 10-day written Notice to Vacate and then seek possession through the legal eviction process (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.040). For other lease violations, landlords should pursue legal action if the issue persists.
Failure to pay: If a tenant doesn’t pay their rent, the landlord can issue a written demand for payment and start the eviction process if they don’t pay within the notice period (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300).
Self-help evictions: Landlords can’t force a tenant out on their own using self-help eviction methods, such as changing locks, shutting off utilities, or removing belongings. These actions are illegal in Missouri. Evictions must go through the court process.
Terminating a Missouri Room Rental Agreement
Month-to-month: Either the tenant or the landlord may end a month-to-month room rental by giving at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rent due date (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060).
Fixed-term: A fixed-term room rental agreement in Missouri ends on the date written in the contract, unless both parties agree to renew or end it early.
Tenant’s right to terminate: In some cases, tenants have the right to end the rental early for reasons such as active military service or serious habitability issues that remain unfixed after proper notice.
Room abandonment: Missouri law treats the room as abandoned when a tenant leaves without notice and stops paying rent. In that case, the landlord can retake possession and apply the security deposit to unpaid rent or damages (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300).
Landlord Access Laws
Immediate access: In Missouri, landlords can enter the rental unit right away if there is an emergency, such as a fire, major water leak, gas leak, or anything that puts people and property at risk.
Advance notice: State law doesn’t have a set notice period for non-emergency entry of a rental unit. However, it’s best practice for rental property owners to give at least 24 hours’ notice and enter at a reasonable time for repairs, inspections, or showings.
Landlord harassment: Repeated, unnecessary, or disruptive visits to the rental unit are harassment and interfere with a tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment of the home.
Lease Agreement Renewal and Termination
Required renewals: Missouri law doesn’t require rental property owners to renew a lease at the end of its term.
Required notice: To end a lease or change its terms, give written notice at least 30 days in advance (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060).
Month-to-month considerations: With a Missouri month-to-month lease agreement, plan for 30 days’ notice for termination. Additionally, a fixed-term lease can roll into a month-to-month if the tenant stays on and landlords accept rent payments.
Room Rental Agreement Missouri FAQs
What to include in a Missouri room rental agreement?
When creating a room rental agreement in Missouri, be sure to include the room you will rent out, the rent payment and deposit terms, the lease length, house rules, shared-space use, maintenance duties, required disclosures, and signatures from both parties.
How do I legally rent out a room?
To legally rent out a room, begin by referencing local laws, keep the room safe and livable, comply with fair housing laws, provide required disclosures, and use a written agreement that complies with Missouri deposit limits.
How to make a Missouri room rental agreement?
Choose a Missouri template, customize your terms, and finalize it as a printable PDF, or generate one through a landlord software, then have both parties sign and keep copies.
