Missouri security deposit law

What your landlord is legally required to do after you move out, how long they have, and what it costs them if they get it wrong.

The deadline

Under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300, a landlord in Missouri must return your security deposit — together with any required written itemization of deductions — within 30 days. Once that window closes without payment or a proper itemization, the landlord is in violation of the statute.

What it costs your landlord

Under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300, a landlord who wrongfully withholds a deposit in Missouri may be liable for twice the amount wrongfully withheld — the statute makes the doubling mandatory, not discretionary. That exposure is the reason a formal demand letter works: it is usually cheaper for a landlord to pay you than to argue about it.

What your landlord may deduct in Missouri

Unpaid rent, damages the landlord suffered from the tenant's failure to comply with the lease, and — where the lease so provides — actual carpet cleaning costs.

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300

Ordinary wear and tear

Missouri excludes ordinary wear and tear and then does something almost no other state does: it regulates carpet cleaning by name.

“ordinary wear and tear”

What a compliant itemization has to contain

An itemized list of damages within 30 days of termination.

Carpet cleaning is regulated by name here

A Missouri landlord may withhold carpet cleaning costs only where the lease contains a provision notifying the tenant that they may be liable for actual carpet cleaning costs exceeding ordinary wear and tear. If your lease has no such clause, the charge is not authorised — and you can settle that by reading your own lease.

Read it yourself: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300

How to get your deposit back in Missouri

1. 1. Confirm the deadline has passed. Count from the day you moved out and returned possession. In Missouri that's 30 days.
2. 2. Put your forwarding address in writing. In several states a landlord has no obligation until they have it, and having sent it protects your claim.
3. 3. Gather your evidence. The lease, proof you paid the deposit, move-in and move-out photos, and any itemization they sent.
4. 4. Send a written demand by certified mail. Cite Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300, state the amount owed, and give a deadline to pay. Certified mail creates the delivery record a judge will want to see.
5. 5. File in small claims if they ignore you. You don't need a lawyer. File in the county where the property is located.

Common questions

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Missouri?

Under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300, a Missouri landlord has 30 days to return the deposit and provide any required written itemization of deductions.

What is the penalty if my landlord keeps my deposit in Missouri?

Under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300, a landlord who wrongfully withholds may be liable for twice the amount wrongfully withheld — the statute makes the doubling mandatory, not discretionary.

Do I have to sue to get my security deposit back?

Often not. A formal written demand sent by certified mail puts your landlord on notice of the statute, the deadline they missed and the penalty attached to it — and gives you a dated record that they received it. Small claims court is the fallback if they ignore it.