Skip to content
Oakclause

Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in Missouri

In Missouri, once rent is 30 days unpaid and the landlord believes the tenant left, the landlord must post and mail a written abandonment notice; if the tenant does not respond within 10 days, the landlord may remove or dispose of the property without liability.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Missouri at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, posted and mailed notice
Notice must be posted on the premises and sent by first class and certified mail.
Holding period
10 days after notice
No further storage period is required once the unit is deemed abandoned.
After the holding period
Remove or dispose of without liability

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Missouri

Does a landlord in Missouri have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, posted and mailed notice. Written notice required in Missouri: yes, posted and mailed notice. Notice must be posted on the premises and sent by first class and certified mail.

How long must a landlord in Missouri keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in Missouri: 10 days after notice. No further storage period is required once the unit is deemed abandoned.

What can a landlord in Missouri do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in Missouri: Remove or dispose of without liability.

Where do the Missouri tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from Mo. Rev. Stat. 441.065. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.