RR
Rent Regulations

Cal. Civ. Code § 441.645

Act of God, tenant not liable for rent

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

Operative Text

Cal. Civ. Code § 441.645
If a residence is destroyed by an act of God, including but not limited to fire or a tornado, or other natural disaster or man-made disaster, so long as the tenant was not the person who caused the disaster, the tenant shall not be liable to the landlord for rent during the remainder of the term of the lease agreement.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.645, when a residential property is destroyed by an act of God—such as a fire, tornado, or other natural or man-made disaster—and the tenant was not responsible for causing that disaster, the tenant's obligation to pay rent for the remaining lease term is extinguished. The rule draws a clear line: destruction caused by forces outside the tenant's control relieves the tenant of further rent liability. This applies regardless of how much time remains on the lease at the time of the destruction.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441.645 establishes that landlords generally cannot collect rent for the remainder of a lease term once a residence has been destroyed by a qualifying disaster, provided the tenant did not cause it. Compliant operators typically update their lease templates and disaster-response procedures to reflect this statutory limitation, and they coordinate with their insurance carriers to account for the loss of rental income in such scenarios. Maintaining adequate landlord insurance coverage is a common practice for managing the financial exposure that this provision creates.

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. § 441.645 provides tenants with a statutory protection: if a residence is destroyed by a disaster they did not cause, they are not legally obligated to pay rent for the rest of the lease term. Tenants who find themselves in this situation may raise this provision as a defense if a landlord attempts to collect remaining rent, and tenant-rights organizations in Missouri can help explain how this protection applies generally. Documenting the cause and extent of the destruction—through photos, official reports, or insurance records—is a practice commonly associated with preserving one's ability to invoke this protection.

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=441.645
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