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Renters' Rights · Security Deposit

Security Deposit Laws in Missouri

The most a landlord can charge, how long they have to return it, and what it costs them to keep your money without cause in Missouri.

Draft entry: figures pending statute verificationStatute §535.300Source revisor.mo.gov

Prefer a calculator? Run your rent and move-out date through the Missouri security deposit calculator →

Security deposit at a glance · Missouri
2 months
is the most a landlord may charge for a security deposit in Missouri. It must be returned within 30 days.
Maximum deposit2 months
Return deadline30 days
Interest to tenantNot required
Separate accountInsured institution
ItemizationRequired
Penalty2x wrongfully withheld
Statute§535.300

What your landlord can hold, and when it's due back

Enter your rent for the Missouri maximum, plus the return-deadline clock.

Deposit calculator · Missouri
Most a landlord can hold
2 months
Enter your monthly rent to see the dollar maximum.
Return clock: 30 days
The deadline runs after the tenancy ends. Give your landlord a written forwarding address at move-out so the clock starts.

Estimate only, based on Missouri's statutory cap. Your lease may set a lower deposit, and local ordinances can be stricter. Not legal advice.

The full rules, with the statute

Every requirement and where it comes from in the code.

Maximum deposit
Two months' rent

Exceptions: A landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit greater than two months' rent (RSMo 535.300.1). The cap covers the security deposit itself. Nonrefundable fees and pet deposits can raise ongoing questions, so read your lease closely.

Return deadline
Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord must either return the full deposit or send a written itemized list of the damages being charged against it, along with any remaining balance.
Interest to tenant
Not requiredMissouri does not require a landlord to pay interest on a security deposit. The statute is clear that any interest the deposit earns belongs to the landlord, not the tenant.
Separate account
RequiredYes. The landlord must hold the deposit for the tenant in a bank, credit union, or depository institution insured by an agency of the federal government. The money cannot simply be pocketed. This is an institutional holding rule, not a tenant-owned escrow, and any interest earned still belongs to the landlord.
Itemization
Required whenever any amount is withheld. Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord must give the tenant a written itemized list of the damages for which any part of the deposit is kept, delivered with the balance of the deposit. The landlord may withhold only what is reasonably needed to cover unpaid rent or to restore the unit to its condition at move-in, ordinary wear and tear excepted.
Local ordinances
The landlord must give the tenant written notice, at the last known address or in person, of the date and time of the move-out inspection, and the tenant has the right to be present at that inspection.

Penalties & recent changes

What happens if the landlord keeps your deposit wrongfully.

If the landlord withholds wrongfully
If a landlord wrongfully withholds all or part of the deposit, the tenant may recover as damages twice the amount wrongfully withheld. Missouri courts treat the deadline strictly, with no grace period, so a late or missing itemization can trigger the double-damages exposure.

What Missouri renters get wrong

Missouri caps a residential security deposit at two months' rent under RSMo 535.300, and it requires the landlord to hold that money for you in a bank, credit union, or federally insured depository institution rather than spending it. After your tenancy ends, the landlord has 30 days to either return the full deposit or send you a written itemized list of the damages being charged, along with whatever is left over. If the landlord wrongfully keeps any part of your deposit, you can recover twice the amount wrongfully withheld. One Missouri-specific step protects you at move-out: the landlord must give you written notice of the inspection date and time, and you have the right to be there. Any interest the deposit earns belongs to the landlord, and Missouri does not require the landlord to pay you interest.

Common questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Missouri?

No more than two months' rent. RSMo 535.300 bars a landlord from demanding or receiving a security deposit larger than two months' rent. If you are asked for more than that, the excess is not allowed.

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

Thirty days after the tenancy ends. Within that window the landlord must either return the full deposit or send you a written itemized list of the damages being charged, along with any remaining balance. Missouri courts apply this deadline strictly, with no grace period.

What happens if my Missouri landlord wrongfully keeps my deposit?

You can recover twice the amount wrongfully withheld as damages. A landlord may only keep what is reasonably needed for unpaid rent or to restore the unit to its move-in condition, and ordinary wear and tear does not count. Missing the 30-day deadline or failing to itemize can expose the landlord to that double-damages penalty.

Does my Missouri landlord have to pay interest or let me attend the move-out inspection?

No interest, but yes to the inspection. Missouri does not require the landlord to pay interest on your deposit, and any interest earned belongs to the landlord. However, the landlord must give you written notice of the inspection date and time, and you have the right to be present when the unit is inspected.

Primary source
→ Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300
Missouri Revisor of Statutes, RSMo §535.300 (Security deposits) · revisor.mo.gov
Draft: pending editorial review
Every figure is corroborated by two or more independent sources: the verbatim text of RSMo 535.300 from Justia's statute mirror, two Missouri law firm summaries (Scott Law Firm and Kennedy Robbins Yarbro & Henson), and landlord-tenant guides (LeaseRunner, Rentable). But the official Missouri Revisor of Statutes site (revisor.mo.gov) refused every connection attempt this session (connection refused and timeouts), so the verbatim section text could not be fetched from the .gov source. The record stays draft until a person opens the official page in a browser and confirms the section text. Note: some property-management blogs wrongly claim Missouri requires interest on deposits held over six months. The statute imposes no interest requirement, so that claim is not reflected here. Editorial standards →

Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.

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