Getting The Deposit Back
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300 — back within 30 days, or twice the amount wrongfully withheld
30 days. Within thirty days after a Missouri tenancy ends, the landlord returns the full security deposit, or gives the tenant a written itemized list of the damages it is being kept for, along with the balance.
Twice what was wrongfully withheld. A landlord who wrongfully withholds all or part of the deposit owes the tenant, as damages, twice the amount wrongfully withheld.
- Rent the tenant owes under the rental agreement.
- Restoring the unit to its condition at the start of the tenancy, ordinary wear and tear excepted, including carpet cleaning costs the lease itself provides for.
- Actual damages from the tenant not giving the notice to end the tenancy that the law or lease requires, if the landlord makes reasonable efforts to mitigate.
Those are the only reasons a landlord may keep part of the deposit, and only in amounts reasonably necessary. The landlord gives reasonable written notice of when the move out inspection will be, and the tenant has the right to be there.
A deposit may not be more than two months' rent, and it is held in a federally insured bank or credit union; any interest belongs to the landlord. A tenant may not apply the deposit to the last month's rent. A pet deposit is not a security deposit under this section.
Sources for this section (1)
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300 — Security deposits, limitation
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Missouri attorney.