I am a Missouri tenant and my landlord mentioned wanting to make renovations to the kitchen when I moved in in March. He said he was going to do them right away. Since I moved in he was entering my apartment without giving me any notice and piddling around with small unnecessary repairs (NOTHING that qualifies as an emergency) and not the renovations he said he was going to make. He lives upstairs and that probably made him think he could just work on the place whenever he felt the urge. His projects turn into 20 projects and when he says it will take him a couple days to do something, it turns into 2 weeks. I asked via email to please notify me and give me some sort of notice if he was going to need to be in my apartment and he agreed to do so. So until now, his projects have been outside my apartment and I have been living here, happily.

Suddenly, he has decided to begin working on the kitchen, four months after he said was going to complete it. He told me he would be finished with his current project in my kitchen by Thursday at noon and he was there until Friday evening without letting me know it would take longer. So he broke our written (email) agreement about him letting me know when he would be in the apartment.

Not only that, he also left my front door unlocked while no one was in it when I came home Thursday.

Now he is planning on putting in a countertop and a dishwasher and who knows what else... I don't want him to do ANYTHING to my apartment unless it's an emergency. I don't want him in my apartment (he has an annoying personality) and I just want to pay my rent, know who is in my apartment and when, and live in peace. I don't want to live here with him and his guys coming in and out whenever they feel like it making UNNECESSARY renovations to my kitchen. While a new kitchen would be nice, I know this will just go on for months and become a HUGE HASSLE. And now I have to worry about them locking the door!

Is there anything I can do to put a stop to this?

Yes, you can tell him to stay out unless there's an emergency.

In some States you can put your own lock on the door after you so advise him.

Do you have a lease?

I have a lease that is good until next March. I would love to say that... but does Missouri law back me up on that?

There seems to be no law protecting me here that I have found in my search. Can you point me in the right direction so that I can at least know what I'm talking about when I tell him to stay out? Lucky me! My landlord is a lawyer! :(

He does have to give you notice, but he is allowed to do work in the home he owns if he wants. He can change diswashers, and change counters if he wants to change them and is paying for them.

He does have to give you notice he will be in the home.
** did he perhaps assume that since when you returned home and the work was not done, you would know that he would have to return ?

Even if you change locks you are required to give him a key to it or provide him a way to enter.

You can put a security system in, and inform him that it is there and unless you know he will be coming in, it will go off