Jennings Apartment Guide

Realistic rent ranges

Jennings has the lowest RentCafe apartment averages of any city in our guides: about $754 for a 1-bedroom and $909 for a 2-bedroom, with the citywide average at $890, up about 5.9% on the year. Source: RentCafe (Yardi Matrix), apartment buildings with 50+ units, September 2026; smaller buildings and houses can run higher or lower. More than half of the homes in Jennings are rented (55%, Census ACS 2020–2024). That is a lot of rental stock for a small city, so you have room to compare units before you commit to one.

If you have a voucher, the number that matters is not the metro average. Voucher limits in the St. Louis area follow ZIP-code rents. HUD’s 2026 fair market rent for ZIP 63136 is $900 for a 1-bedroom and $1,100 for a 2-bedroom (HUD). Your housing authority sets its own payment standard from that figure, so ask it for the exact cap. Our Section 8 guide covers how the waitlists work.

Before you move in: the occupancy permit

In Jennings, the keys are not the last step. The permit is. City code makes it unlawful to move into a rental, or for anyone to help you move in, until the city has issued an occupancy certificate (Jennings code PM 302.3 and 302.5). It works in two steps:

• The landlord gets the unit inspected. The fee is $50, which covers one inspection and one re-inspection. The inspection expires after 120 days, so ask when it was done.
• You apply for the occupancy permit. The landlord fills out a tenant authorization form, and the head of household takes it to City Hall, Room 106. The permit costs $50 and is free if you are 65 or older. Move in first and the fee doubles to $100 (fees: PM 301.8). The application asks for the name, relationship and date of birth of everyone who will live in the home, and the city’s form asks occupants to bring documents such as picture ID, Social Security cards and birth certificates, where applicable. The landlord also has to show the city that the property is current on state and local taxes before your permit can issue (PM 302.3), so ask whether the taxes are paid.

Since February 2026, the city also requires renters to show a paid trash bill along with the permit before move-in day (Sec. 7-20). Trash service is mandatory in Jennings through Republic Services, (636) 947-5959. The city’s trash page lists $15.24 a month, a rate posted in 2020, so confirm the current price when you call. Open the account as soon as you have a lease, and ask the Building Department how much service you must prepay: city code refers to a paid receipt for one year of trash service (PM 302.3).

Building Department: Jennings City Hall, 2120 Hord Ave., Jennings, MO 63136 · (314) 388-1164 · Mon–Fri 9–4. The city does not accept personal checks for these fees; bring a money order, business check, or card (city site).

Getting around

Jennings has no MetroLink station. Buses cover the main roads instead: MetroBus routes #16 City Limits, #40 Broadway-Halls Ferry, #64 Lucas-Hunt and #74 Florissant. The Riverview Transit Center is under 2 miles from City Hall, and the UMSL North MetroLink station is about 3 miles away, straight-line. Highway 367 runs through the east side of the city and I-70 touches its southern edge; I-270 and I-170 are each about 2 miles out. Downtown is roughly 8 miles away.

Major employers within a short commute

Within about 3–4 miles (straight-line): Christian Hospital on Dunn Road and the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Boeing’s St. Louis site, which became the headquarters of Boeing Defense, Space & Security in February 2026, and Lambert Airport are about 5–7 miles west.

Schools

Most of Jennings is in the Jennings School District ((314) 653-8000). Edges of the city fall in Ferguson-Florissant, Normandy, and Riverview Gardens, so confirm the school for any address with the district before you sign.

Utilities and groceries

Ameren Missouri electric, Spire gas, Missouri American Water, and MSD sewer are the standard providers here; confirm each by address when you set up service (our utility setup guide walks through it). Trash is mandatory and city-contracted, as above. For groceries, Jennings has Schnucks Westfall Plaza (8037 West Florissant Ave.) and ALDI (8445 Lucas-Hunt Rd.).

What applications expect

Most professionally managed buildings screen income at about 3× the rent (see how much income you need). At $754, that is roughly $2,260 a month in gross income. The more useful question comes before the application fee: has the unit passed its city inspection, and when? A landlord who cannot answer that cannot hand you a legal move-in date.