21 May Rent Increases in St. Louis: 7 Steps for Landlords

Raising rent is part of owning a rental, but doing it badly is expensive. A tenant who leaves over a clumsy increase can cost you a month or two of vacancy, a turnover clean, and a new set of showings. This is our working guide for St. Louis landlords: what Missouri law actually says, how to pick a number you can defend, and how to deliver it so good tenants stay.

1. Know what Missouri law does and doesn’t require

Missouri has no rent control. State law (RSMo 441.043) bars cities and counties from capping rent, so neither the City of St. Louis nor St. Louis County can limit how much you raise it.

What the law does care about is the lease. If a tenant is in a fixed-term lease, the rent is locked until that term ends, unless the lease itself allows a mid-term change. Your increase takes effect at renewal, not before.

For month-to-month tenants, there’s no statute that says how much notice a rent increase needs. What does exist is RSMo 441.060, which requires one month’s written notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. Because a rent increase is effectively an offer of new terms in place of the old ones, the practical rule is to give written notice at least one full rental period before the new rent starts. We give 60 days whenever we can; it’s the difference between a tenant who feels ambushed and one who has time to budget.

Either way, put it in writing and keep proof of delivery. Verbal notice won’t hold up in court.

2. Set the number with real comps

Don’t pick a percentage out of the air. Pull three to five comparable listings within a mile of the property on Zillow, Apartments.com, and Rentometer, matching bedroom count, condition, parking, and whether laundry is in-unit. Then look at the trend. According to Apartment List’s September 2026 report, the median rent in St. Louis is $1,152, up 2.0 percent over the past year, with one-bedrooms around $1,023 and two-bedrooms around $1,309. If your comps in Tower Grove South or Maplewood are moving faster than that, you have room; if they’re flat, a big jump will just create a vacancy.

Layer in your own costs. Property taxes, insurance premiums, and a new water heater are all fair reasons for an increase, and tenants take them better when you name them. Our St. Louis market report on Wizah is a good place to check the broader picture before you settle on a figure.

3. Time it for the spring and summer market

A common piece of bad advice: “avoid winter increases because tenants are less likely to move.” That has it backwards. A tenant who won’t move in January is exactly the tenant who will accept a reasonable increase in January. The real risk is a lease that ends in December, because if that tenant does leave, you’re marketing a vacant unit in the slowest month of the year.

So structure leases to expire between April and August, when the St. Louis rental market is busiest and a vacancy fills fastest. Send renewal offers 60 to 90 days ahead of that expiration. If you inherited a lease that ends in winter, offer a short renewal at the current rent to move the anniversary into spring, then apply the increase then.

4. Send a clear written notice

Keep it short and specific. Here’s our template; fill in your own dates:

[Date]

Dear [Tenant name],

Thank you for being a resident at [property address]. We’ve reviewed current rental rates in the neighborhood along with our operating costs for the property, and we’re adjusting the rent for your unit.

Effective [effective date], the monthly rent will change from $[current rent] to $[new rent]. All other terms of your lease remain the same. If you’d like to renew for a 12-month term at this rate, please sign and return the attached renewal by [response deadline]. If you plan to move instead, please give us written notice by that same date.

We’re glad to answer any questions. Call or email us at [phone/email].

Sincerely, [Owner or manager name]

Deliver it by hand with a signed acknowledgment, or by certified mail, and send an email copy the same day. File the letter, the receipt, and any reply together.

5. Do the retention math before you push

Before you chase the last $75, run the turnover numbers on your own property. Add up the rent you’d lose during vacancy (in St. Louis, plan on at least one month), the cost of cleaning and paint, any listing fees, and the City of St. Louis occupancy inspection you’ll need before a new tenant moves in. Compare that total with what the extra rent would earn over 12 months. A $50 increase on a great tenant is $600 a year; one month of vacancy on a $1,200 unit erases it twice over.

For on-time payers who take care of the place, a modest increase is usually the more profitable call.

6. Offer options instead of an ultimatum

When the gap between current rent and market is large, phase it: a smaller step this year and a second step written into next year’s renewal. Or tie the full increase to something visible, like new flooring or a washer and dryer. A longer lease at a slightly lower increase gives you stability and the tenant predictability. Tenants who feel they had a choice rarely leave over price alone.

7. Avoid the mistakes that cost landlords tenants

• Raising rent mid-lease. Unless the lease allows it, you can’t, and trying to invites a dispute.
• Pricing above the comps. Rent that the market won’t support just produces a vacancy at the worst time.
• Bad timing. A notice that lands the week after an unresolved repair request feels like retaliation, whether or not it is.
• No paper trail. If you can’t prove when notice was given, assume it wasn’t.
• Treating every tenant the same. Your best tenants deserve your best terms.

When to hand it to a property manager

If you own more than a couple of units, or you’re out of town, or you just don’t enjoy the conversation, this is a job worth delegating. Our property management team runs the comps, drafts and delivers the notices, times renewals to the spring market, and handles the back-and-forth with tenants so increases land without drama. Or book a free consultation and we’ll look at your numbers together.