Missouri Residential Lease Agreement for Rental Properties

Rental contracts in Missouri are agreements between property owners or landlords and anyone who wants to rent space on their property. The conditions of monthly payments, the lease term, and rules to which the renter must adhere while on the property are all covered under rental agreements.

Landlords or lessors frequently require prospective tenants or lessees to fill out a rental application to establish their eligibility. Once their application has been approved and they have cleared a background check, the tenant will be permitted access to the property when both parties have signed the lease agreement and made the first payments as stipulated in the lease.

There are a number of different lease agreements, such as the Missouri commercial lease agreement, Missouri roommate agreement, and the Missouri sublease agreement. However, in this article, we'll cover everything you need to know about a standard residential lease agreement.

What to Include

According to Missouri's rental laws, there are a few things that you'll need to include in the rental agreement, including:

Warranty of Habitability

Landlords in Missouri are required to make all of their rental properties suitable for people to live in. On the other hand, the state does not stipulate which utilities must always be available.

In any event, the law requires landlords to complete the required repairs as soon as possible. If you don't, a renter may be able to make a repair on their own and deduct the amount from their monthly rent. 

Security Deposit

Missouri landlords are also required to provide tenants with information about security deposits. Maximum amounts apply in the state, and Missouri landlord-tenant laws state that a landlord may not demand a security deposit worth more than two months' rent.

Lease Termination and Evictions

Landlords must also include information about lease terminations and evictions on their rental agreements.

A Missouri renter must provide a one-month notice of their intent to terminate a month-to-month rental contract. However, a fixed-term contract can be canceled early due to harassment by the landlord, active military duty, or an unsuitable living environment for an extended period.

Moreover, in Missouri, nonpayment of rent, engaging in criminal activity, and violating the terms of an agreement can all be grounds for eviction. Only a breach of the lease, however, requires prior tenant notice (10 days). 

Rent

Landlords in Missouri have the freedom to increase rental prices as much as they want, anytime they would like, with no prior warning or justification.

Likewise, they can also impose virtually any fee as long as it is clearly stated in the lease agreement. Bounced or returned check costs are an exception, and they are limited to $30 per transaction.

Disclosures

Landlords must make the following disclosures if applicable:

Lead-based Paint

According to federal law, all properties in the United States that were built before 1978 may have lead-based paint. Landlords must therefore warn tenants about the potential dangers in their lease agreements.

Landlord's Name and Address

To ensure that legal notices reach the right person, landlords, property managers, and anyone else with the right to act on behalf of the landlord must state their name and address on the rental agreement.

Methamphetamine Contamination

If a landlord is aware of any potential methamphetamine contamination, he or she must include it in the Missouri lease agreement.

Build Your Own

Suppose you're looking for an easy way to draw up lease agreements. In that case, you have two choices. You could go for a free Missouri lease agreement building tool or a more customizable paid version, like the one offered by DoorLoop.

While a free form or lease builder may seem like a great option, you'll find that it offers little in the way of customization.

What Is DoorLoop?

DoorLoop gives landlords and real estate investors the ability to choose from several professional templates and personalize them to their hearts' content. Thanks to the clever autofill feature, you can save time when creating your next rental agreement!

With other innovative features such as tenant screening, accounting, and more, DoorLoop will become an invaluable asset to your business!

Click here to schedule a free demo and learn more about DoorLoop

eSignature

Want to start your tenant relationships off on the right foot? A smooth lease signing process is the best way to do that.

With DoorLoop, you get eSignatures on your leases done within minutes. You can also create reusable lease templates that take seconds to customize for each tenant, since they can be autofilled with all of the tenant's information.

DoorLoop also integrates with popular listing syndications sites Zillow, Trulia, Hotpads, Apartments.com, and more so that you can attract tenants on autopilot. You can also make sure you're bringing in the best tenants by screening your prospects in seconds through DoorLoop.

For more information about DoorLoop, learn more or schedule a free demo.

Final Thoughts

If you need to draw up a detailed, professional Missouri residential lease agreement that adheres to federal and state laws, you now have the information you need. You can use our short guide and DoorLoop to quickly and easily create a rental agreement to safeguard your business.