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Free Missouri Security Deposit
Return Letter Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Missouri Security Deposit Return Letter

When a tenancy ends, a Missouri landlord has a set time to return the deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. Here’s what Missouri’s statute says.

Missouri rules at a glance

Missouri rules for a Security Deposit Return Letter
Return deadline30 days. 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 last known address satisfies the rule.RSMo §535.300.3
PenaltyA landlord who wrongfully withholds any part of the deposit owes the tenant twice the amount wrongfully withheld.RSMo §535.300.6

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).

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 Security Deposit Return Letter 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).

More Missouri landlord documents

Security Deposit Return Letter in other states

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