Rent increases in Missouri
Source: RSMo §§ 441.060, 441.043 · Checked against the statute
- Notice
- 1 month
- Statewide cap
- No statewide cap
- During a lease
- No state statute
- Local rent control
- Banned by state law
When can a rent increase start in Missouri?
Choose the state and the date the notice is given.
How much notice is required
Missouri has no rent-increase notice statute. A landlord changes the rent in a month-to-month tenancy by giving written notice that ends it on a rent-paying date at least one month after the tenant receives the notice. Other tenancies at will or of less than a year also need one month's written notice. (RSMo § 441.060(1), (4))
No separate rent-increase rule: the periods below are the notice to end a periodic tenancy.
| Applies to | When | Notice |
|---|---|---|
| Month-to-month | — | 1 month |
- The notice must be in writing.
- The change can only start at the end of a rental period (on a rent day).
Example: a notice handed over on November 2, 2026 in Missouri
Earliest date the new rent can start, with rent due on the 1st, worked out from the Missouri rule above:
- For a month-to-month tenant of 1 year raising rent 5% or a month-to-month tenant of 3 years raising rent 12%: Friday, January 1, 2027
Raising rent during a lease
No statute addresses rent increases during a fixed-term lease. (RSMo ch. 441)
City and county rent control
No county or city, including charter governments, may enact, maintain or enforce an ordinance that regulates the amount of rent for privately owned residential or commercial rental property. (RSMo § 441.043(1))
Also good to know
- No Missouri statute bars retaliatory rent increases; none was found in RSMo chapter 441.
- Unwritten leases of houses and buildings in cities, towns and villages are month-to-month tenancies, ended by one month's written notice (§ 441.060(3)).
- Mobile-home lot tenancies of less than a year need 60 days' notice running from the next rent due date (§ 441.060(4)(2)).
- § 441.043 also bars local source-of-income rules, local security-deposit caps and right-of-first-refusal rules.
Other Missouri renting rules in numbers
- Security deposit
- No more than 2 months' rent. Return deadline: 30 days after the tenancy terminates.
- Tenant's notice to move out
- 1 month, ending with a rental period
- Notice for unpaid rent
- Demand for rent
- How a written notice is delivered (eviction-notice rules)
- The statutes do not prescribe how the 10-day notice or the rent demand must be delivered.
- Notice for other lease violations
- 10 days (notice to vacate, no right to fix)
- Small claims court limit
- $5,000 — where most deposit and rent disputes are filed.
- Repairs
- Time to repair: 14 days. Repair and deduct: allowed with limits; withholding rent: allowed with limits.
- Deposit kept wrongly
- Wrongful withholding: tenant recovers twice the amount wrongfully withheld.
- Lawful reasons to end a lease early
- Domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking; Military service (state law)
Sources
- RSMo § 441.060 Retrieved October 15, 2026.
- RSMo § 441.043 Retrieved October 15, 2026.
Laws change. This page was checked against the sources above on October 15, 2026. It is legal information, not legal advice; for a dispute, contact your state's legal aid. See our methodology.