Landlord-Tenant Law
The lease | Expiration of lease | Subleasing | Security deposit | Repairs | Eviction
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Security deposit
Under Missouri law, a landlord can only require a maximum two months' rent as a security deposit.
At the end of the lease, the landlord has 30 days to return the security deposit with an itemized list of damages for which any portion of the deposit is kept.
During that 30-day period, the landlord must notify the tenant of the time and date when the landlord plans to inspect the dwelling.
The tenant has the right to be present during the move-out inspection, which must be conducted at a reasonable time.
To avoid last-minute problems, tenants should ask the landlord in what condition he expects the unit to be left. Then allow plenty of time for cleaning.
The landlord may keep all or part of a deposit to pay for actual damages (not for normal wear and tear), unpaid rent, or lost rent due to the tenant moving out without adequate notice.
The tenant may not use the security deposit to pay the last month's rent.
Remember to give the landlord your forwarding address in writing. Otherwise, he may not be able to send your deposit.
If the landlord has wrongfully withheld all or part of a deposit, the tenant may sue to recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld.
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