Iowa Residential Lease Agreement

Required Landlord Disclosures (4)

The only federally required landlord disclosure requires the disclosure of known information about lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before the sale or lease of most housing built before 1978. The Iowa legislature decided the remaining required disclosures below.

1. Landlord identification: Iowa law requires landlords to provide tenants with their contact information, including addresses and phone numbers, so tenants can reach them (Iowa Code § 562A.13).
2. Shared utilities: Landlords must disclose how utility costs are allocated when a single utility service serves multiple units (Iowa Code § 562A.13).
3. “Superfund” sites: State law requires that landlords disclose to tenants whether a property is listed in the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Information System (Iowa Code § 562A.13).

Landlords who fail to provide these disclosures risk facing legal consequences and/or monetary penalties.

Security Deposit Regulations

Maximum security deposit amount: Iowa landlords may legally charge up to 2 months’ rent as a security deposit (Iowa Code § 562A.12).

Receipt of deposit: Landlords in Iowa are not required to provide a receipt for the tenant’s security deposit.

Interest: Iowa landlords may deposit deposits in an interest-bearing account. Any interest earned during the first 5 years of tenancy is the landlord’s (Iowa Code §562A.12).

Deduction tracking: Landlords should prepare a written statement detailing the rationale for withholding any portion of a rental deposit (Iowa Code § 562A.12).

Returning a tenant’s security deposit: Landlords in Iowa must return the security deposit, minus any legitimate deductions, within 30 days after the residential lease agreement ends (Iowa Code § 562A.12).

Landlord’s Access to Property

Advance notice: Unless there is an emergency, Iowa landlords must give tenants at least 24 hours’ notice before entering the rental property (Iowa Code § 562A.19).

Immediate access: Landlords may enter the property without notice in emergencies threatening the safety of the property itself (Iowa Code § 562A.19).

Landlord harassment: Tenants have the right to quiet enjoyment of their rental property. If a landlord makes extensive, unnecessary, and repeated entries that interfere with a tenant’s quiet enjoyment, it could be considered harassment (Iowa Code § 562A.15).

Rent Payment Laws

Grace period: Iowa does not mandate a specific grace period for late rent payments, but the Iowa lease agreement may define one (Iowa Code § 562A.9).

Late rent fees: Iowa landlords can charge late fees, but state law limits the amounts they can charge. For rent of $700 or less, landlords can charge late fees of $12.00 per day. For rent over $700, landlords may charge a $20.00 late fee per day. (Iowa Code § 562A.9)

Tenant’s right to withhold rent: In Iowa, tenants can withhold rent if the landlord does not make essential repairs, but only after they give proper notice (Iowa Code § 562A.27).

Breach of Rental Agreement

Missed rent payment: If a tenant doesn’t pay rent on the due date, landlords may issue a 3-day notice to pay before terminating the rental agreement (Iowa Code § 562A.27).

Lease violation: If the tenant violates any lease terms, the landlord can give the tenant a written notice to remedy the violation or face eviction within a law-defined timeframe (Iowa Code § 562A.27).

Self-help evictions: Self-help evictions are illegal in Iowa (Iowa Code § 562A.33). Examples of a self-help eviction include changing the locks or shutting off utilities.

Lease abandonment: If a tenant abandons the property, landlords shall try to rent it at a reasonable rate (Iowa Code § 562A.29).

Ending an Iowa Lease

Month-to-month: Either party may terminate a month-to-month lease rental agreement with a written 30-day notice (Iowa Code § 562A.34).

Fixed-term: Tenants may break a fixed-term lease if the landlord fails to uphold their obligation to provide essential services such as water or heat. However, tenants must first provide appropriate notice to the landlord before proceeding with lease termination (Iowa Code § 562A.27).

Property abandonment: Iowa landlords must follow the procedures outlined in state law to handle abandoned property after the tenant vacates the unit (Iowa Code § 556).

Renewing a Lease

Required renewals: Iowa landlords are not required to renew a tenant’s lease unless the original contract explicitly states so (Iowa Code § 562A.9).

Required notice: Landlords must provide 30 days’ written notice if they do not plan to renew a month-to-month lease. There is no required notice for nonrenewal of a fixed-term lease (Iowa Code § 562A.34).

Disclaimer: TurboTenant does not provide legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only. All users are advised to check all applicable local, state, and federal laws and consult legal counsel should questions arise.