Last reviewed September 2026
Written by LawLease Editorial
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Missouri Property Management Agreement
This Property Management Agreement is built with Missouri as the governing state. These are the Missouri landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.
Missouri rules at a glance
| Security deposit limit | 2 months’ rent (a pet deposit falls outside the cap)RSMo §535.300 |
|---|---|
| Deposit return | 30 days — full refund, or an itemized list of damages plus the balanceRSMo §535.300.3 |
| Deposit rules | The two-month cap, 30-day return and double-damages penalty apply regardless of what the lease says (§535.300). |
| Landlord entry | No statutory notice period — the lease controls |
| Late fees | No statutory cap or grace period; the lease controls |
Security deposits in Missouri
A Missouri landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit of more than two months’ rent (§535.300.1). The statute defines a “security deposit” broadly — any money or property, however labeled, that secures the tenant’s performance — but expressly excludes a deposit for a pet, so a pet deposit sits outside the two-month cap (§535.300.8).
- Where it’s held — Deposits must be kept in a federally insured bank, credit union or depository institution. Any interest earned belongs to the landlord, so Missouri requires no interest to be paid to the tenant (§535.300.2).
- Allowed deductions — Only amounts reasonably necessary for unpaid rent, restoring the unit to its move-in condition less ordinary wear and tear, and actual losses caused by the tenant’s failure to give proper notice to end the tenancy — and the landlord must make reasonable efforts to mitigate that last one (§535.300.4).
- Carpet cleaning — A lease may set carpet-cleaning charges that can be taken from the deposit, but only if the lease also tells the tenant they may be liable for actual carpet-cleaning costs beyond ordinary wear and tear; the landlord must provide a receipt within 30 days (§535.300.4(2)).
- Move-out inspection — The landlord must give reasonable written notice of the date and time of the move-out inspection, and the tenant has the right to be present (§535.300.5).
- Return — Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord must either return the full deposit or send a written itemized list of damages with the balance. Mailing it to the tenant’s last known address satisfies the rule (§535.300.3).
- Wrongful withholding — A landlord who wrongfully withholds any part of the deposit owes the tenant twice the amount wrongfully withheld (§535.300.6). The tenant, in turn, can’t use the deposit in place of the last month’s rent (§535.300.7).
Rent, late fees & rent increases
Missouri has no statute capping residential late fees and no mandatory grace period. A late fee is enforceable because it is written into the lease, and — as with any contract charge — a fee far out of proportion to the landlord’s real loss risks being treated as an unenforceable penalty. There is no fixed legal number.
- Rent increases — No Missouri statute sets a rent-increase notice period. Rent is fixed for a fixed-term lease; for a month-to-month tenancy, an increase is a change of terms, so the one-month termination notice under §441.060 is the practical minimum.
- Rent control — No county or city may enact, maintain or enforce any ordinance that regulates the amount of rent for privately owned residential property (§441.043).
- 2025 preemption expansion — Effective August 28, 2025 (HB 595 & 343), cities and counties also may not require landlords to accept housing-assistance income, restrict landlords’ own screening criteria (income, credit, eviction or criminal history), cap security deposits, or impose right-of-first-refusal mandates. Local rules protecting recipients of veterans’ benefits remain allowed (§441.043).
- Occupancy — A limit of two persons per bedroom is presumed reasonable in Missouri; it doesn’t apply to children born to the tenants during the lease (§441.060.2).
Landlord entry & access
Missouri has no statute setting a minimum notice period or hours for landlord entry. The lease controls, so it should state how much notice the landlord will give and when entry is allowed; outside the lease, the tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment limits the landlord to reasonable access. Emergency entry is generally permitted.
What Missouri does regulate is self-help. A landlord who removes or locks out a tenant, removes the tenant’s belongings or the doors or locks without a court order, or willfully interrupts essential services such as electricity, gas, water or sewer, is guilty of forcible entry and detainer (§441.233).
Tenant protections you can’t waive
- No self-help eviction — Lockouts, removing a tenant’s belongings, or cutting essential utilities without a court order is forcible entry and detainer (§441.233).
- Repair-and-deduct — No lease may waive the tenant’s statutory repair-and-deduct rights (§441.234.2).
- Deposit rules — The two-month cap, 30-day return and double-damages penalty apply regardless of what the lease says (§535.300).
- Court process only — Possession is recovered through a court judgment and the officer’s execution of it; only if the officer fails to deliver possession within seven days of receiving the writ may the landlord take possession, in the presence of law enforcement (§441.060.5). Removal without judicial process is forcible entry and detainer (§441.233).
Missouri Property Management Agreement FAQs
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Missouri?
No more than two months’ rent (§535.300.1). A deposit specifically labeled as a pet deposit isn’t counted toward that cap, because the statute excludes pet deposits from the definition of a security deposit (§535.300.8).
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Missouri?
30 days after the tenancy ends. The landlord must either return the full deposit or send a written itemized list of damages with the remaining balance; mailing it to the tenant’s last known address counts. Wrongfully withholding any part exposes the landlord to twice the amount withheld (§535.300.3, .6).
Is there a limit on late fees in Missouri?
No. Missouri has no statutory late-fee cap and no required grace period — the fee and when it applies are whatever the lease says. A fee wildly out of line with the landlord’s actual loss can still be challenged as a penalty.
More Missouri landlord documents
- Missouri Residential Lease Agreement
- Missouri Eviction Notice
- Missouri Security Deposit Return Letter
- Missouri Rent Increase Notice
- Missouri Notice to Vacate
- Missouri Application Approval Letter
- Missouri Application Denial Letter
- Missouri Background & Credit Check Authorization
- Missouri Rental Application
- Missouri Co-Signer Guarantor Agreement
- Missouri Bed Bug Addendum
- Missouri Mold & Mildew Addendum
- Missouri No-Smoking Addendum
- Missouri Parking & Storage Addendum
- Missouri HOA & Community Rules Addendum
- Missouri Crime-Free Housing Addendum
- Missouri Utilities & Services Addendum
- Missouri Early Termination Addendum
- Missouri Lease Extension Addendum
- Missouri Lead-Based Paint Disclosure
- Missouri Military Clause (SCRA)
- Missouri Pet Addendum
- Missouri Cash for Keys Agreement
- Missouri Mutual Lease Termination Agreement
- Missouri Lease Renewal Agreement
- Missouri Notice of Non-Renewal
- Missouri Late Rent Notice
- Missouri Lease Violation Notice
- Missouri Notice of Entry
- Missouri Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Checklist
- Missouri Rent Receipt
- Missouri Rent Verification Letter
- Missouri Tenant Welcome Letter
- Missouri Commercial Lease
- Missouri Rent-to-Own Agreement
- Missouri Short-Term Rental Agreement
- Missouri Room Rental Agreement
- Missouri Roommate Agreement
- Missouri Spanish Lease Agreement
- Missouri Sublease Agreement
- Missouri Lease Amendment
Property Management Agreement in other states
- Alabama Property Management Agreement
- Alaska Property Management Agreement
- Arizona Property Management Agreement
- Arkansas Property Management Agreement
- California Property Management Agreement
- Colorado Property Management Agreement
- Connecticut Property Management Agreement
- Delaware Property Management Agreement
- Florida Property Management Agreement
- Georgia Property Management Agreement
- Hawaii Property Management Agreement
- Idaho Property Management Agreement
- Illinois Property Management Agreement
- Indiana Property Management Agreement
- Iowa Property Management Agreement
- Kansas Property Management Agreement
- Kentucky Property Management Agreement
- Louisiana Property Management Agreement
- Maine Property Management Agreement
- Maryland Property Management Agreement
- Massachusetts Property Management Agreement
- Michigan Property Management Agreement
- Minnesota Property Management Agreement
- Mississippi Property Management Agreement
- Montana Property Management Agreement
- Nebraska Property Management Agreement
- Nevada Property Management Agreement
- New Hampshire Property Management Agreement
- New Jersey Property Management Agreement
- New Mexico Property Management Agreement
- New York Property Management Agreement
- North Carolina Property Management Agreement
- North Dakota Property Management Agreement
- Ohio Property Management Agreement
- Oklahoma Property Management Agreement
- Oregon Property Management Agreement
- Pennsylvania Property Management Agreement
- Rhode Island Property Management Agreement
- South Carolina Property Management Agreement
- South Dakota Property Management Agreement
- Tennessee Property Management Agreement
- Texas Property Management Agreement
- Utah Property Management Agreement
- Vermont Property Management Agreement
- Virginia Property Management Agreement
- Washington Property Management Agreement
- West Virginia Property Management Agreement
- Wisconsin Property Management Agreement
- Wyoming Property Management Agreement
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