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What Missouri’s deposit statute requires, the deadline computed from your dates, and a ready-to-send demand letter that quotes the rule.
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300. The citation and the quoted fragments below come from the official source recorded for this state.
“Within thirty days after the date of termination of the tenancy, the landlord shall: (1) Return the full amount of the security deposit; or (2) Furnish to the tenant a written itemized list of the damages for which the security deposit or any portion thereof is withheld, along with the balance of the security deposit.”
“The landlord shall have complied with this subsection by mailing such statement and any payment to the last known address of the tenant.”
“To restore the dwelling unit to its condition at the commencement of the tenancy, ordinary wear and tear excepted”
“If the landlord wrongfully withholds all or any portion of the security deposit in violation of this section, the tenant shall recover as damages twice the amount wrongfully withheld.”
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300 — fragments captured from the official source on 2026-11-05.
This row was marked verified on 2026-11-05.
Within thirty days after the date of termination of the tenancy the landlord must either return the full amount of the security deposit or furnish the tenant a written itemized list of the damages for which the deposit or any portion is withheld, along with the balance of the deposit; mailing the statement and any payment to the tenant's last known address is compliance. The landlord may withhold only amounts reasonably necessary to remedy a tenant's default in the payment of rent due under the rental agreement, to restore the dwelling unit to its condition at the commencement of the tenancy (ordinary wear and tear excepted), and to compensate actual damages from the tenant's failure to give adequate notice to terminate where the landlord makes reasonable efforts to mitigate. Carpet cleaning amounts may be withheld only where the rental agreement so provides and notifies the tenant of possible liability, and a receipt for the actual carpet cleaning costs must be provided within thirty days of the end of the tenancy. The landlord must give the tenant or the tenant's representative reasonable written notice of the date and time of the inspection following termination, and the tenant has the right to be present. Any interest earned on the deposit is the landlord's property, so no interest is owed to the tenant.
If if the condition the statute sets out is met, the statute provides: damages equal to the amount wrongfully withheld.
Mo. Rev. Stat. 535.300.6: if the landlord wrongfully withholds all or any portion of the security deposit in violation of the section, the tenant shall recover as damages twice the amount wrongfully withheld (i.e. the unreturned amount plus an equal statutory amount; no fixed 'up to' wording). The captured text of 535.300 contains no attorney-fee or court-cost provision, so this row records attorneyFees=false and costs=false; the upstream note that Missouri gives 'double damages plus attorney fees' is corrected here. Section 535.300.4(2) also supplies a distinct thirty-day deadline to provide a receipt for actual carpet cleaning costs. The statute limits a security deposit to two months' rent (535.300.1).
The form asks for the deposit paid, the amount returned, and the dates. You see the whole letter, watermarked, before you pay. $9.99 for the letter, $19.99 for the pack with the follow-up letter, complaint options and the small-claims checklist.
Build my Missouri letter — free preview
The deadline is computed from the dates you enter using the rule recorded for Missouri: 30 calendar days after the date the tenancy ended.
Where the statute has a verified penalty, the letter states it as possible exposure and names the condition the statute sets. If if the condition the statute sets out is met, the statute provides: damages equal to the amount wrongfully withheld.
Tell the builder that you received one. The letter acknowledges it and disputes the amounts you say are wrong.
No. It is a self-help document tool, not a law firm. If your claim is large or disputed, speak to a landlord-tenant lawyer or legal aid.