Missouri Rent Increase Laws for Landlords (2026)

Updated September 2026 · Written for self-managing landlords · Not legal advice

In short: Missouri has no rent-increase law. To raise the rent you use the notice for changing a month-to-month tenancy, which is 30 days' notice, and there is no cap on the amount.

What Missouri law requires

Missouri has no statute about raising rent. That surprises most landlords, and it is the single most misreported fact in this area - plenty of sites will quote you a “Missouri rent increase notice law” that does not exist.

What Missouri does have is the notice required to end or change a month-to-month tenancy, and that is the mechanism you have to use: raising the rent is legally a change of terms. The period is 30 days' notice, in writing, under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060.

Citation: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060 · read the source

How much can you raise it in Missouri?

There is no statutory ceiling. No cap, and local rent control is preempted.

Only four US jurisdictions cap the size of an increase - California, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia. Missouri is not one of them, so the amount is a business decision, not a legal one. The usual constraint is practical: a tenant who leaves over an increase costs you a turnover, and a turnover costs more than the increase was worth.

Local rules override this. Local rent control is barred by Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.043, which was broadened in August 2025 to also preempt local rules on tenant screening and security deposits.

Can you raise rent mid-lease in Missouri?

No. A fixed-term lease fixes the rent for the term. An increase takes effect at renewal, or on a month-to-month tenancy after proper notice. The exception is a lease that contains its own escalation clause agreed at signing.

Serving the notice so it holds up

Most rent increases that fall apart fall apart on the date, not the amount: the notice went out too late, or nobody can prove when it went out. Count the days from delivery, not from the day you wrote it, and keep the proof.

LandlordPro generates the notice against the state's rule, dates it, records when it was sent, and carries the new rent onto the rent roll on the right day so the ledger and the notice agree.

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Frequently asked questions

How much notice does a landlord have to give to raise rent in Missouri?

30 days in writing. Missouri has no rent-increase statute, so that is the notice required to change a month-to-month tenancy under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060.

Is there a limit on how much rent can be raised in Missouri?

No. Missouri sets no cap on the size of an increase. Only California, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia cap the amount.

Can rent be raised during a lease in Missouri?

No, unless the lease itself provides for it. A fixed-term lease fixes the rent for the term; an increase belongs at renewal or on a month-to-month tenancy after notice.

Does a Missouri rent increase notice have to be in writing?

Yes.

Do local rules change this in Missouri?

Local rent control is barred by Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.043, which was broadened in August 2025 to also preempt local rules on tenant screening and security deposits.