When The Landlord Will Not Fix It
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.234 — repair and deduct, after 14 days' notice, up to one month's rent a year
Missouri lets a tenant repair and deduct only if the tenant has lived there lawfully for six consecutive months, paid all rent and charges, and received no uncured written notice of a lease or house rule violation in that time.
14 days. When a condition harms habitability, sanitation or security and violates a local housing or building code, and fixing it costs less than three hundred dollars or half the periodic rent, whichever is greater, but no more than one month's rent, the tenant may notify the landlord. If the landlord does not fix it within fourteen days of written notice, or as promptly as an emergency requires, the tenant may have the work done properly and deduct the actual, reasonable cost, with an itemized statement and receipts.
If the landlord disputes in writing within the notice period that the repair is needed, the tenant may not deduct without first getting written certification from the local government that the condition violates its code; the landlord then has fourteen days from the certification.
Deductions may not total more than one month's rent in any twelve month period, and are not available for a condition the tenant, the tenant's family or guests caused. A lease may not waive the right.
Sources for this section (1)
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.234 — Tenant may deduct cost of repair of rental premises from rent, when
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Missouri attorney.