Missouri Rent Increase Notice
In Missouri there is no statute setting a day-count only for a rent increase. A landlord raises rent on a month-to-month tenancy by ending it with at least one month written notice and offering a new tenancy at the higher rent. Missouri has no statewide rent cap and local rent control is barred. Attorney review available.
Introduction
Missouri has no clock that runs only for a rent increase. Instead a landlord reaches a higher rent by closing the existing month-to-month arrangement and offering a new one at the higher figure. A rent increase notice is the written notice a Missouri landlord gives a tenant for that purpose, naming the new monthly rent and its start date. To end a month-to-month tenancy the landlord serves a written notice stating the tenancy will end on a periodic rent-paying date not less than one month after the tenant receives it (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060), so the tenant has at least a full month before the new rent applies. If rent is due on the first, the notice should go out before the first of the prior month so a whole rental period passes. Missouri sets no statewide ceiling, and it bars cities and counties from the field: no county or city may enact, maintain, or enforce an ordinance regulating the amount of rent for privately owned residential property (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.043). So the landlord may choose the new figure once the tenancy is properly ended and the raise is not retaliatory or discriminatory. Rent under a fixed-term lease cannot move mid-term unless the lease allows it. DocDraft prepares your Missouri rent increase notice from your entries, with attorney review available before you serve it.
Key Things to Know
- 1
A rent increase notice is the written notice a Missouri landlord gives a tenant to raise the rent on a home, naming the new monthly rent and the day the higher rent begins.
- 2
Missouri has no rent-increase-only clock; the landlord reaches a higher rent by closing the month-to-month arrangement and offering a fresh one at the higher figure.
- 3
The landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with a written notice that the tenancy will end on a periodic rent-paying date not less than one month after the tenant receives it (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060), so a full month passes before the new rent applies.
- 4
That one-month count runs to a rent-paying date, not from a fixed calendar day; if rent falls due on the first, the notice should go out before the first of the prior month so a whole period clears.
- 5
Missouri sets no statewide ceiling and no statewide percentage limit, so the landlord chooses the new figure once the tenancy is properly ended.
- 6
Cities and counties are shut out of the field: none may enact, maintain, or enforce an ordinance regulating the amount of rent for privately owned residential property (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.043).
- 7
Rent under a fixed-term lease cannot move mid-term unless the lease allows it; a raise reaches a month-to-month tenant only after the current arrangement is properly closed.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Rent Increase Notice in Missouri, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Rent Increase Notice guide walks through them.
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Missouri Requirements for Rent Increase Notice
Missouri has no statute setting a day-count only for a rent increase. A landlord raises rent by ending the month-to-month tenancy with a written notice that the tenancy will terminate on a rent-paying date not less than one month after the tenant receives it (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060), and offering a new tenancy at the higher rent. The tenant gets at least that notice before the new rent applies.
The one-month notice runs to a periodic rent-paying date (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060). If rent is due on the first of the month, the notice should be given before the first of the preceding month so that a full rental period passes before the new tenancy and the new rent begin.
Missouri has no statewide rent cap and no statewide percentage limit. A landlord may set the new amount, as long as the tenancy is properly ended and the increase is not for a retaliatory or discriminatory reason.
Local rent control is preempted: no county or city may enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance or resolution regulating the amount of rent for privately owned residential property (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.043). Cities such as Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield cannot cap private rent increases, so the statewide notice rule governs.
Rent on a fixed-term lease cannot be raised during the term unless the lease specifically allows it, because the rent is a fixed term of the contract. A rent increase reaches a month-to-month tenant only after the existing tenancy is ended by at least one month written notice, or it takes effect when a fixed-term lease renews.
The landlord should serve the notice ending the month-to-month tenancy and the notice of the new rent in writing, in a way that reliably reaches the tenant, such as personal delivery or mail (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060). Missouri does not fix a delivery method, so using certified mail or hand delivery with an acknowledgment and keeping proof of service helps if the increase is later disputed.
The notice should identify the landlord and tenant, give the rental address, state the current monthly rent and the new monthly rent, and state the effective date, give at least the one month Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060 requires, and offer a new tenancy at the higher rent. It should also state how rent is to be paid.
A rent increase served without properly ending the month-to-month tenancy, or with less than the one month Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060 requires, does not take effect on the stated date. A tenant may continue paying the prior rent until a valid notice ending the tenancy and offer of a new tenancy have run. An increase for a retaliatory or discriminatory reason cannot be enforced.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is the written notice a Missouri landlord gives a tenant to raise the rent on a home, naming the new monthly rent and the day it starts. In Missouri a raise runs through closing the month-to-month arrangement with at least one month written notice and offering a fresh tenancy at the higher figure (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060). The notice shifts one term, the rent, forward. Rent under a fixed-term lease cannot be raised mid-term unless the lease allows it.
Missouri sets no period aimed only at a rent increase. The landlord raises the rent by ending the month-to-month arrangement, which takes a written notice that the tenancy will close on a rent-paying date not less than one month after the tenant receives it (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060), then offering a fresh tenancy at the higher figure. A full month passes before the new rent applies. If rent falls due on the first, send the notice before the first of the prior month.
Missouri has no statewide ceiling, so no statewide percentage limits the raise. Cities and counties are shut out too: none may enact, maintain, or enforce an ordinance regulating the amount of rent for privately owned residential property (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.043). A Missouri landlord may choose the new figure once the arrangement is properly closed and the raise is not for a retaliatory or discriminatory reason.
Usually not. In Missouri, rent set by a fixed-term lease holds through the term unless the lease itself allows a change, because that rent is a bargained term of the contract. A raise reaches a month-to-month tenant only after the current arrangement is closed by at least one month written notice (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060), or it takes hold when a fixed-term lease renews.
A Missouri landlord should put the notice closing the month-to-month arrangement and stating the new rent in writing, delivered by a route that dependably reaches the tenant, such as personal delivery or mail (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060). Because Missouri fixes no method, a route that leaves a record, such as certified mail or hand delivery with an acknowledgment, plus a record of the manner and date, helps should the raise be questioned later.
A Missouri rent increase notice should name the landlord and tenant, give the rental address, list the current and new monthly rent, and fix the effective date. Because the raise runs through closing the month-to-month arrangement, the notice should allow at least the one month Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060 requires and offer a fresh tenancy at the higher figure. It should also say how rent is to be paid.
No. Missouri preempts local rent control: no county or city may enact, maintain, or enforce an ordinance regulating the amount of rent for privately owned residential property (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.043). So a St. Louis or Springfield ordinance cannot cap a private raise. The statewide rule for closing a month-to-month arrangement (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060) governs everywhere in Missouri.
A Missouri rent increase served without properly closing the month-to-month arrangement, or with less than the one month Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.060 requires, does not take hold on the date named. A tenant may treat a short or defective notice as not yet in force and keep paying the prior rent until a valid closing notice and offer of a fresh tenancy have run. A raise for a retaliatory or discriminatory reason cannot be enforced.