Housing assistance in Missouri
Missouri's energy assistance (LIHEAP) is run by the Department of Social Services, Family Support Division, with applications taken online or through local contracted community action agencies. Free civil legal help is provided by four regional legal aid programs coordinated through Missouri Legal Services, and the MoTenantHelp.org site helps tenants prepare an answer to an eviction case. State law bars cities and counties from regulating rent on private housing.
Where to apply for rental assistance and vouchers
Section 8 vouchers and public housing are run by local public housing agencies (PHAs). Each keeps its own waiting list, so apply to every agency serving places you could live. The state housing finance agency funds affordable apartments and homebuyer programs but usually does not take voucher applications.
Ask each agency: Is the waiting list open? How do I apply, and how will you contact me? Never pay to apply or to move up a list. See how to apply for Section 8 and how waiting lists work.
Programs and free legal help in Missouri
Energy and utility bills
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division
Gives a one-time payment toward heating or cooling costs, plus crisis help (ECIP) when a shutoff is imminent: up to $800 in winter and up to $300 in summer. Apply online, by mail or fax, or through a local contracted agency.
Call 855-373-4636
Free legal help
- Missouri Legal Services Missouri's four legal aid programs
Statewide portal for free civil legal help, including housing, for low-income Missourians. Use the service-area map to find your county's legal aid program, then apply by phone or online.
- MoTenantHelp.org Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Free eviction-defense information and an online tool (EDDE) that helps tenants create court documents to respond to an eviction case.
Official tenant guides
- Missouri's Landlord-Tenant Law Missouri Attorney General's Office
Official guide (PDF) to the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, covering leases, deposits, repairs and eviction.
No statewide emergency rent program? Most rent help is local. Call 211 and ask which county, charity, or community action programs are taking applications now. See emergency rental assistance.
Key tenant laws in Missouri
Statewide rules for most private rentals. Cities, counties, subsidized housing, and your lease can add protections, and some rules have exceptions. Read the linked law before relying on a deadline.
- Security deposit limit
A landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit of more than two months' rent.
- Deposit return deadline
Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord must return the full deposit or give the tenant a written, itemized list of damages along with any remaining balance. A tenant whose deposit is wrongfully withheld can recover twice the amount wrongfully withheld.
- Notice before an eviction for unpaid rent
No written notice period is required. The landlord only has to have demanded the rent and not been paid, and can then file a rent-and-possession lawsuit right away; the 441.060 termination notice is not required.
- Landlord entry notice
Missouri's landlord-tenant chapter has no section setting a notice period for landlord entry, so check the lease. Legal aid notes that a landlord entering without permission can violate the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment.
- Rent increases and rent control
State law preempts local rent control: no city or county may enact, maintain or enforce an ordinance regulating the amount of rent for privately owned residential property. The current version of the law took effect August 28, 2025.
- If the landlord won’t make repairs
Limited repair-and-deduct: a tenant who has lived in the unit for 6+ months with no lease violations can give written notice of a code violation that affects habitability. If the landlord does not fix it within 14 days, the tenant may make the repair and deduct its cost. The cost must be under $300 or half a month's rent, whichever is greater, and no more than one month's rent in any 12 months.
This is general information, not legal advice. If you have a notice or court papers, contact legal aid right away. See facing eviction, security deposit rights, and repairs and habitability.
Phone lines that serve Missouri
- Shelter, rent help, and local services211
- HUD-approved housing counseling800-569-4287
- Housing discrimination complaints (HUD)800-669-9777
- Energy assistance referral (LIHEAP)866-674-6327
- Veterans at risk of homelessness877-424-3838
- Domestic violence hotline800-799-7233
More local contacts: HUD’s Missouri resource page.
Next steps
Sources
Checked October 10, 2026. Laws, programs, and agency websites change; confirm details with the agency or court before relying on them. Report a correction.
- RSMo 535.300 Security depositsMissouri Revisor of Statutes
- RSMo 535.020 Rent and possessionMissouri Revisor of Statutes
- RSMo Chapter 441 Landlord and TenantMissouri Revisor of Statutes
- RSMo 441.043 Prohibited ordinancesMissouri Revisor of Statutes
- RSMo 441.234 Repair and deductMissouri Revisor of Statutes
- Landlord-Tenant Law: The Basics (2026)Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
- Rent and Possession LawsuitLegal Services of Eastern Missouri
- MoTenantHelp.orgLegal Services of Eastern Missouri
- LIHEAPMissouri Department of Social Services
- Missouri Legal ServicesMissouri Legal Services
- Missouri's Landlord-Tenant LawMissouri Attorney General's Office
- Housing Authority of Kansas City, MissouriHousing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri
- St. Louis Housing AuthoritySt. Louis Housing Authority
- Housing Authority of St. Louis CountyHousing Authority of St. Louis County
- Columbia Housing AuthorityColumbia Housing Authority