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Rent Regulations

Cal. Civ. Code § 441.020

Illegal use of premises renders lease void

In Force
Verified 10/14/2026 · Next check 10/21/2026
effective 10/14/2026MissouriLease Requirements

Operative Text

Cal. Civ. Code § 441.020
Whenever any lessee of any house, apartment or building permits any prohibited gaming table, bank or device to be set up or be kept or used upon the premises, for the purpose of gaming, or keeping in the same a bawdyhouse, brothel or common gaming house, or allowing the illegal possession, sale or distribution of controlled substances upon the premises, the lease or agreement for letting such house or building shall become void, and the lessor may enter on the premises so let, and shall have the same remedies for the recovery of the premises as in the case of a tenant holding over the tenant's term.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.020, a residential or building lease automatically becomes void if the tenant allows certain illegal activities on the premises — specifically, prohibited gambling operations, a brothel or bawdyhouse, or the illegal possession, sale, or distribution of controlled substances. Once the lease is voided by such conduct, the landlord gains the legal right to re-enter the property. The landlord's remedies for recovering the premises are the same as those available against a tenant who remains after a lease term has expired.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 14, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.020 provides that a lease is rendered void when a tenant permits prohibited gambling, prostitution-related activity, or illegal drug activity on the property, giving the landlord re-entry rights and the same recovery remedies available against a holdover tenant. Compliant operators typically document any evidence of such activity carefully and consult legal counsel before taking re-entry steps, since the procedural requirements for recovering possession still apply even when a lease is voided under this statute. Maintaining clear lease provisions that prohibit these activities and conducting lawful inspections where permitted can support a landlord's position if such a situation arises.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.020 specifies that a lease becomes void only when the tenant personally permits particular categories of serious illegal activity — prohibited gambling operations, prostitution-related uses, or illegal controlled-substance activity — on the premises. Tenants who believe a landlord is improperly invoking this statute to claim a lease is void may have grounds to contest that characterization, since the provision requires actual permission of the prohibited conduct. Tenant-rights organizations and legal aid services can help tenants understand whether the circumstances described in § 441.020 genuinely apply and what procedural options may be available.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 14, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 14, 2026
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References Out

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.650
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.650
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.020
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.020
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.050
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.130
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.240
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.280
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.065
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.240
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.250
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.280
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.290
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.643
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.643
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.510
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.643
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.570
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.590
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.643
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.630
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.570
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.570
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.643
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.640
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.643
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.643
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.500
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.643
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.530
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.740
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.750
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.770
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.830
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.740
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.750
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.740
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.750
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.740
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.820
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.710
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.880
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.020
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.050
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.060

Related Rules

§ 244.280
Tenant to be given copy of lease
§ 151.35
SEVERABILITY
§ 165.12
SEVERABILITY

Source Information

Source:https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.020
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