Missouri tenant screening laws

Missouri's landlord and tenant chapters set no limit on application or screening fees and no refund rule for them (Mo. Rev. Stat. chapter 441; Mo. Rev. Stat. chapter 534; Mo. Rev. Stat. chapter 535).

• Cities and counties may not restrict your use of income-qualifying methods, credit scores or reports, eviction or property damage history, or criminal history under your own customarily applied criteria, or stop you from asking for that information (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.043.2(2)).See Rent control and local rules on the Missouri page
• Section 441.043 restricts county and city ordinances. Its protection of customary screening criteria does not replace the state housing-discrimination rules or the duty to consider a reasonable accommodation where required. Review those duties before applying a screening criterion to an applicant (Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.043.2(2); Mo. Rev. Stat. 213.040.1, .2).See Fair housing on the Missouri page

Missouri law makes it unlawful to refuse to rent, set different terms, or advertise a preference because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability or familial status, and requires you to allow reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense and make reasonable accommodations in rules and policies for a person with a disability. You may not deny tenancy, evict or find a lease violation because an applicant or tenant is, has been, or is in imminent danger of becoming, a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, if they otherwise qualify (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 213.040.1, .2; Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.920.2).

• Apart from its advertising rule, the state act does not cover a private owner of no more than three single-family houses renting one without a broker or advertising, or rooms or units in a building of up to four units where the owner lives in one (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 213.040.13).
• For a modification in a rental, you may, where reasonable, condition permission on the tenant agreeing to restore the interior to its prior condition, reasonable wear and tear excepted (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 213.040.2(1)).
• The subsection 2 protection against denial of housing, eviction or a lease-violation finding has exceptions if the tenant allowed the person named in the documentation into the premises, or you reasonably believe that person threatens other occupants or the property. The applicant or tenant provides a statement of the domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking; you may request supporting documentation (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.920.2, .4).
• A limit of two persons per bedroom is presumed reasonable, except for a child born to the tenants during the lease (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060.2).
• The disability protections also cover a person who resides or intends to reside in the home and a person associated with the buyer or renter. Do not limit the review to whether the named applicant personally has a disability; a household member or associated person can be the reason the statutory protection applies (Mo. Rev. Stat. 213.040.1(6), (7)).
• If supporting documentation is requested, one option is a document signed by both the victim and an employee of a victim service provider, health care professional or mental health professional from whom the victim sought related assistance. The professional states under penalty of perjury a belief that the incident occurred and meets the statutory definition. Alternatively, a federal, state or local law-enforcement, court or administrative-agency record about the incident qualifies (Mo. Rev. Stat. section 441.920.4).