Missouri eviction laws heavily favor tenants, as most states’ eviction laws do these days. For this reason, it is imperative that a landlord understands both is or her rights and obligations to the tenant. If a landlord acts without first pursuing state statutes or consulting with an attorney, he or she runs the risk of violating a tenant’s rights and therefore, forfeiting rights to his or her property.
According to Missouri’s Landlord Tenant Law, a pamphlet courtesy of Missouri Attorney General, Eric Schmitt, a landlord must have a court order to evict a tenant. To obtain a court order, said landlord must be able to establish grounds for eviction. Missouri recognizes nine grounds for eviction.
A landlord may obtain a court order to evict a tenant if he or she can show that the tenant damaged the property, failed to pay rent or violated the terms of the lease. The courts may grant an eviction order if a tenant causes injury to the landlord or another tenant. If a tenant engages in drug-related criminal activity on the premises, gambles illegally on the premises or fails to vacate the premises upon the expiration of the lease, the courts may also grant an eviction order. A landlord is within his or her rights to evict a tenant who allows another person whom the landlord previously excluded to reside on the property. Missouri law also grants a landlord the right to remove any person who lives on the property illegal.
According to FindLaw, if a landlord wishes to terminate a year-to-year lease for a lesser reason, he or she must give the tenant 60 days’ notice. If the lease is a month-to-month contract, the landlord must provide one months’ notice. If the issue involves non-payment of rent, the landlord must only provide five days’ notice. In the event that a tenant uses a property for illegal reasons, the lease becomes automatically void.