Jefferson City Missouri – Former Landlord Demanding $20–40k Without Itemized Damages, Gutted Kitchen Before Telling Us. What Are Our Obligations?

Location: Jefferson City Missouri.

Hi, I’m looking for some legal guidance about a dispute with our former landlord in Jefferson City, MO.

My husband (42M) and I (43F) rented a house from July 2021 until December 2025. We were always on time with rent, and we bought a home in September 2025. The last few months in the rental were extremely difficult for our family due to a serious mental-health crisis with one of our four children. Both my husband and I were working very long hours, and our two oldest children (20 and 14 at the time) were home during that period, but they weren’t helping with moving or cleanup.

When we moved out, we removed all trash and furniture, but we were not able to complete cleaning or repainting. There was also one broken window and damage to both bathroom doors. We did not expect our deposit back.

However, our landlord was out of town during the move-out period and never arranged a walkthrough with us. We officially vacated in December 2025.

In February 2026, we received a utility bill for that old address. When we contacted the landlord to switch it back into her name, she told us there were “a lot of damages.” She initially claimed her lawyer wanted to sue us for $40,000. Later, at an in-person meeting, she said she would “cut it down” to $20,000 and asked us to pay $1,000/month until a family trust is settled, then pay the rest.

My concerns:

She never provided an itemized list of damages or receipts.

By the time she informed us of any alleged damage, she had already gutted the kitchen, so we cannot confirm what was pre-existing vs. what she demolished herself.

We have not signed anything or agreed to payments.

My questions:

What are Missouri landlords legally required to provide in terms of itemized damages and timelines after move-out?

Can a landlord demand payment for major renovations (like gutting a kitchen) if we never saw the condition and were never given a damages list?

Are we obligated to pay anything without documentation?

Should we contact an attorney, or is this something we can respond to ourselves in writing?

Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated. Thank you.