Are Missouri Landlords Required to Provide You Air Conditioning?

I'm not a lawyer or any kind of legal expert, but I will say that many laws and regulations don't use common sense in my opinion. This is a great example. Do you think that Missouri landlords should be required to provide you air conditioning? The answer is more complicated than it needs to be.

No sane person would ever turn to me for real important legal advice, so please don't. This is just something I became curious about as we're all enduring nearly triple digit temperatures in Missouri. If you count the heat index, we're definitely 100+ this week. This heat begs the question about air conditioners in rentals.

I've seen this question asked on Quora, too. Are Missouri landlords required to provide AC during the summer months? The short answer is NO. Shocking, right? EZ Landlord Forms says there is no law forcing landlords to provide air conditioning, but there is light at the end of the tunnel maybe. It says "landlords must maintain habitable conditions" and if you can document they aren't, you might have a case. Key word is "might".

Just Answer provided some additional insight that might help you if you're burning up in your Missouri home or apartment with no air conditioning. It says your lease might have a provision for air conditioning maintenance. This is skeptical me doubting it as most leases really seem to offer more protection to the landlord and not the tenant. Do I sound cynical? That's right. I am.

In the event that you are in dire straits with excessive heat and no air conditioning, please consider reaching out to organizations like the Salvation Army who have programs and places to stay sometimes for those with no relief from heat.