Rules are rules, and every landlord will have a set of rules that tenants must comply with in order to remain in good standing. While it’s not uncommon (and often a great idea) to provide your tenants with a set of written rules for your rental property, a strong rental agreement will specifically address the issue of rules and regulations imposed on the tenant. As a landlord, you want the rules to reflect the needs of your specific property as well as any local ordinances and HOA rules.

Missouri landlord tenant law is silent on specific language for the rules and regulations section of the lease agreement. However, LeaseRunner’s Missouri Residential Lease Agreement includes general language to address the topic. It states that the landlord may adopt rules or regulations, however described, concerning the use and occupancy of the premises by the tenant. This section of the lease also highlights the conditions that allow those rules and regulations to be enforceable against the tenant, and we have included the conditions below.

  1. Purpose: Their purpose is to promote the convenience, safety, or welfare of tenant; preserve landlord’s property from abusive use; or make a fair distribution of services and facilities held out for the tenants generally.
  2. Relevancy: They are reasonably related to the purpose for which they are adopted.
  3. Fair application: They apply to all tenants in the property in a fair manner.
  4. Clear and explicit: They are sufficiently explicit in their prohibition, direction, or limitation of tenant’s conduct to fairly inform tenant of what must be done to comply.
  5. Evasion: They are not for the purpose of evading the obligations of landlord.
  6. Notice: Tenant has notice of the rules and regulations at the time the lease agreement is entered into or when they are adopted. As well, a rule or regulation adopted after the tenant first enters into the lease agreement is only enforceable if the tenant is provided reasonable notice of its adoption and it does not create a substantial modification of the original lease agreement.