St. Louis habitability

Do this today

• Photograph the condition. Write the date.
• Dial 311 or file with St. Louis Building Division.
• If there is no heat, no water, or a gas smell: 911 or the utility first.

What does “livable” mean in St. Louis?

Heat, water, sanitation, and structural safety are the usual floor. The exact list is in Missouri landlord and tenant statutes and often in the city housing code St. Louis Building Division enforces. This desk does not reprint temperature charts or hour-counts.

What if nothing happens after I report it?

Keep the request numbers from 311 or St. Louis Building Division. Take that file to legal aid. Do not skip rent on a rumor. If the condition is dangerous tonight — no heat in winter, a gas leak, a collapsed ceiling — treat it as an emergency.

City of St. Louis or St. Louis County?

They are separate governments. A County ordinance or court is the wrong stack for a City address. Missouri statutes are the floor. The City Building Division inspects many conditions inside the City.

The St. Louis layer

City of St. Louis and St. Louis County are separate. Use the City stack only if the unit is in the City.

Missouri landlord and tenant statutes (Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 441.005 to 441.920) is the Missouri floor. We name it. We do not paraphrase a day-count or a dollar cap out of it.

St. Louis questions

National answers on this desk

• Is a landlord notice the same as being evicted?
• What number should I call right now?
• Is there a national tenant-rights law in the United States?
• What should I do if I get an eviction notice?
• How do I find free legal help as a renter?
• Can my landlord enter without notice?