St Louis Real Estate Attorney
Landlord Tenant Disputes | Real Estate Law
Our office has helped dozens of businesses, landlords and purchasers of commercial and residential property to both avoid and resolve real estate-related legal issues. We are skilled at a broad range of real estate law matters, including:
- Buying and selling of real estate property, including for-sale-by-owner "FSBO" transactions
- Failure to disclose issues and construction defects
- Real estate closings
- Drafting, negotiating and interpreting leases and other real estate contracts
- Landlord-tenant disputes, rent and possession and unlawful detainer actions against tenants.
- Boundary and neighbor disputes, including adverse possession
- Foreclosures, mechanic's liens, title issues and the drafting of deeds
Most landlord and tenant disputes involve issues surrounding rent payments and security deposits. Under Missouri law, a landlord can only require a maximum two months' rent as a security deposit. At the end of the lease, the landlord has 30 days to return the security deposit with an itemized list of damages for which any portion of the deposit is kept.
During that 30-day period, the landlord must notify the tenant of the time and date when the landlord plans to inspect the dwelling. The tenant has the right to be present during the move-out inspection, which must be conducted during regular business hours.
The landlord may keep all or part of a deposit to pay for actual damages (not for normal wear and tear), unpaid rent, or lost rent due to the tenant moving out without adequate notice. The tenant may not use the security deposit to pay the last month's rent.
Remember to give the landlord your forwarding address in writing. Otherwise, he may not be able to send your deposit. If the landlord has wrongfully withheld all or part of a deposit, the tenant should speak with a skilled real estate attorney with experience in Landlord/Tenant issues to discuss options available.
We accept credit cards for your convenience. Contact our St Louis law firm today to schedule an appointment to learn how our legal expertise can help you acheive your goals. Attorney Chris Cox is conveniently located in Chesterfield, Missouri. Call us at 314.727.0163 or contact us online.