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Iowa landlord-tenant law
Checked against the Iowa statutes on October 1, 2026 Statutes current through: Iowa Code 2026 (compiled December 9, 2025); selected rent-notice, local rent-control and agency housing guidance reviewed October 15, 2026, without resetting the wider state review General information, not legal advice
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Iowa in brief
Iowa's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law, Iowa Code chapter 562A, caps a security deposit at two months' rent and requires you to return it, or give a written statement of the specific reasons for keeping any part, within 30 days after the tenancy ends and you receive the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions. A lease may not provide for a late fee above $12 a day or $60 a month when the rent is $700 a month or less, or $20 a day or $100 a month when it is more, and Iowa Code chapters 562A, 562 and 648 set no grace period. For unpaid rent, give written notice that you will end the rental agreement if the rent is not paid within three days; most other material breaches get a notice giving seven days to fix the problem. Give at least 24 hours' notice before entering, except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable, and at least 30 days' written notice of a rent increase, which cannot take effect before the lease term ends. Serve termination notices only in the ways Iowa Code 562A.29A lists; a posted and mailed notice is complete four days after it is mailed and postmarked.
Key numbers
- Security deposit limit
- 2 months' rent
- security deposit; Rentari also counts a refundable pet deposit toward the limit
- Iowa Code § 562A.12(1)
- Deposit refund deadline
- 30 days
- after the tenancy ends and you get the tenant's address
- Iowa Code § 562A.12(3)
- Bad-faith deposit penalty
- Up to 2x rent
- punitive damages on top of actual damages
- Iowa Code § 562A.12(7)
- Late fee limit
- $60 or $100 a month
- $12 or $20 a day; the higher figures apply when rent is over $700
- Iowa Code § 562A.9(4)
- Notice for unpaid rent
- 3 days
- written notice of nonpayment and intent to terminate
- Iowa Code § 562A.27(2)
- Month-to-month notice
- 30 days
- before the periodic rental date in the notice
- Iowa Code § 562A.34(2)
Before you sign
Application and screening fees
Not readThis page does not state an Iowa rule on application or screening fees. The Iowa Code is published only as PDF, and the review this page relies on recorded no rule on the subject, so it is listed as not read.
Fair housing
Partly readThe Iowa Office of Civil Rights lists housing protection for race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, familial status, and physical or mental disability. It also lists retaliation as protected in housing. Check those protections before setting different rent or renewal terms.
Iowa Office of Civil Rights: protected classes
More detail (4)
- Respond to an assistance- or service-animal accommodation request within a reasonable time. When disability or the related need is not apparent, supporting information may be requested. An animal registration or certificate alone is insufficient. Do not request a diagnosis, disability severity or medical records. Iowa Code 216.8B(2)-(6)
- Make necessary reasonable changes to pet policies and give a written assistance-animal determination. The statute identifies limits for undue hardship, fundamental alteration, unmitigable direct threats or substantial property damage, and otherwise unreasonable requests. Review the particular circumstances and applicable federal rights. Iowa Code 216.8B(6), (10)
- A professional finding under section 216.8C includes the disability and animal-related need, assistance provided, licensing and compensation information, dates, and certifications about prior familiarity and whether the professional relationship has lasted at least 30 days, including telehealth. It must be made within 12 months of the rental agreement starting and lasts for 12 months or the agreement term, whichever is longer. This is not the exclusive way to establish disability or need. Iowa Code 216.8C
- Licensing and vaccination compliance may be required, and residents remain responsible for animal-caused damage. Iowa preserves other lawful ways to show disability or need and does not narrow existing federal accommodation rights. Iowa Code 216.8B(6), (8)-(10)
Required disclosures
Partly readAt or before the start of the tenancy, disclose in writing who manages the property and who receives legal papers and notices for the owner. Before the lease is signed, fully explain utility rates, charges and services unless the tenant pays the utility company directly. Before the tenancy begins, tell each tenant in writing if the property is listed in the federal CERCLIS environmental database. Disclosure rules in other Iowa chapters, including the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sections, were not read for this page.
Iowa Code § 562A.13(1) Iowa Code § 562A.13(4) Iowa Code § 562A.13(6)
More detail (3)
- The utility explanation is due to the prospective tenant from you or anyone authorized to sign rental agreements for you. Iowa Code § 562A.13(4)
- The CERCLIS disclosure is required only if the property is listed in the comprehensive environmental response compensation and liability information system maintained by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Iowa Code § 562A.13(6)
- The owner and manager disclosure is explained under landlord identity. Iowa Code § 562A.13(1) See Landlord identity disclosure
Flood disclosure
Not readThis page does not state an Iowa flood disclosure rule. The Iowa Code is published only as PDF, and the review this page relies on recorded none, so it is listed as not read.
Landlord identity disclosure
At or before the start of the tenancy, you or a person authorized to sign rental agreements for you must disclose to the tenant in writing the name and address of the person authorized to manage the premises, and of an owner or a person authorized to act for the owner for service of process and for receiving and receipting for notices and demands.
More detail (2)
- Keep the information current; the duty extends to a successor landlord, owner or manager. Iowa Code § 562A.13(2)
- A person who fails to make the disclosure becomes an agent of each person who is a landlord for service of process, for receiving and receipting for notices and demands, and for performing the landlord's duties under chapter 562A and the rental agreement. Iowa Code § 562A.13(3)
The lease adds an owner and manager identification page that prints each name with its address, and says an address is not disclosed where the landlord has entered none.
Deposits, rent and fees
Security deposit limit
You may not demand or receive a security deposit of more than two months' rent. A rental deposit is any money that secures performance of the rental agreement, other than a deposit that is only an advance payment of rent.
Iowa Code § 562A.12(1) Iowa Code § 562A.6(12)
More detail (1)
- Because the definition covers any money that secures the tenant's performance, Rentari reads a refundable pet deposit as part of the two months. Iowa Code § 562A.6(12) Iowa Code § 562A.12(1)
The Rentari Iowa lease states the deposit and keeps every refundable deposit, a pet deposit included, within two months' rent, and Rentari stops a lease whose combined security and pet deposits are above that.
Returning the deposit
Within 30 days from the date the tenancy ends and you receive the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, return the deposit or give the tenant a written statement showing the specific reason for keeping any part of it. You may keep only what is reasonably needed to cover unpaid rent or other money due under the rental agreement, to restore the unit to its condition at the start of the tenancy (ordinary wear and tear excepted), or to recover the cost of regaining possession from a tenant who did not act in good faith in failing to leave after noncompliance and notice.
More detail (5)
- If you keep any part of the deposit to restore the unit, the statement must also give the nature of the damages. Iowa Code § 562A.12(3)
- If you give no written statement within the 30 days, you forfeit all rights to keep any part of the deposit. Iowa Code § 562A.12
- If the tenant gives no mailing address or delivery instructions within one year after the tenancy ends, the deposit reverts to you. Iowa Code § 562A.12
- Keeping a deposit, or any part of it, in bad faith exposes you to punitive damages of up to twice the monthly rent on top of actual damages. Iowa Code § 562A.12(7)
- In an action on a rental agreement, the court may award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party. Iowa Code § 562A.12(8)
The lease states the 30-day clock from the end of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant's address, the only reasons money may be kept, the forfeiture, the one-year rule and the bad-faith penalty.
Deposit account and interest
Hold every rental deposit for the tenant in a bank, savings and loan association or credit union insured by an agency of the federal government, and do not commingle it with your personal funds. A trust account is permitted but not required. Interest earned on a deposit during the first five years of a tenancy belongs to you.
The lease says the deposits are held in a federally insured bank, savings and loan association or credit union apart from the landlord's personal funds, and that interest earned in the first five years belongs to the landlord.
Move-in condition
Use a dated condition record at move-in to show the home’s starting condition. Iowa HHS housing guidance recommends writing down and photographing existing damage and having the landlord sign and date it. This is practical recordkeeping guidance; this page does not establish a mandatory Iowa inspection form or statutory checklist deadline.
Iowa HHS: housing and apartment-tour guidance
More detail (1)
- Work room by room and record existing stains, cracks, worn finishes, appliance condition and missing items. Keep wide photos for context and close-ups for damage. Give both sides the same dated checklist and photos, note any disagreement, and keep repair requests separate so documenting a defect is not mistaken for fixing it. Compare with the move-out record when explaining a proposed deposit deduction. Iowa HHS: housing and apartment-tour guidance
The lease refers to any move-in condition report and, as a lease term, asks the tenant to report damage already present in writing within any period the law sets or, if none, within seven days of move-in.
Rent and late fees
A rental agreement may not provide for a late fee of more than $12 a day or $60 in total a month when the rent is $700 a month or less, or more than $20 a day or $100 in total a month when the rent is more than $700. No section of Iowa Code chapters 562A, 562 or 648 sets a grace period before a late fee may be charged, so any grace period comes from your lease.
More detail (2)
- The law states both a daily and a monthly limit. This page does not settle whether a single fee larger than the daily figure, charged once in a month, is allowed; a fee within the daily figure stays inside both limits. Iowa Code § 562A.9(4)
- No section of chapters 562A, 562 or 648 sets a grace period. Iowa Code ch. 562A Iowa Code ch. 562 Iowa Code ch. 648
The lease charges the late fee after the grace day the landlord sets, lowers it to the monthly limit for the rent, and prints both the daily and the monthly limit; Rentari suggests a three-day grace period as its own guideline and only warns when a lease has less.
Returned payment fee
Partly readIowa's landlord and tenant chapters (562A, 562 and 648) set no fee for a bounced check or returned payment. Other Iowa law on dishonored checks was not read for this page, so no state limit is stated here.
Rent increase notice
Notify each tenant in writing of any rent increase at least 30 days before it takes effect. The effective date may not be sooner than the end of the original rental agreement or of any renewal or extension of it.
More detail (1)
- Plan delivery as well as the 30-day lead time. Iowa Code 562A.8 allows hand delivery, a signed and dated acknowledgment by an adult resident, personal service, both regular and certified mail, dated posting on the primary entrance door within the service period, or a method that results in actual receipt. Mail service is complete four days after deposit and postmark, whether or not the recipient signs. Keep the notice and delivery evidence; sending an email alone does not establish actual receipt. Termination notices have separate service rules under 562A.29A. Iowa Code 562A.8 and 562A.13(5)
During the tenancy
Landlord entry
Except in an emergency or where it is impracticable, give the tenant at least 24 hours' notice of your intent to enter, and enter only at reasonable times. The tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry to inspect, make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or show the unit to prospective or actual buyers, lenders, tenants, workers or contractors. You may enter without consent in an emergency.
More detail (3)
- You may not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant. Iowa Code § 562A.19
- During a tenant's absence of more than 14 days, you may enter the unit at times reasonably necessary. Iowa Code § 562A.29
- If the tenant refuses lawful access, you may get a court order compelling access or end the rental agreement. If you enter unlawfully, enter lawfully but in an unreasonable manner, or make repeated demands for entry that unreasonably harass the tenant, the tenant may get a court order or end the agreement. Either way the injured party may recover actual damages (for a tenant, not less than one month's rent) and reasonable attorney fees. Iowa Code § 562A.35
The lease requires at least 24 hours' notice, or the longer period the landlord sets, except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable, and states the remedies for refused or abusive access.
Repairs and habitability
You must comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety, make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to keep the premises fit and habitable, keep common areas clean and safe, keep in good and safe working order the electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and other facilities and appliances you supply or must supply, provide receptacles for and arrange removal of garbage and other waste, and supply running water, reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable heat.
More detail (2)
- The heat and hot water duty does not apply where the building is not required by law to have them, or where they come from an installation within the tenant's exclusive control supplied by a direct public utility connection. Iowa Code § 562A.15
- The tenant must keep the part of the premises the tenant uses as clean and safe as its condition permits, dispose of waste in a clean and safe manner, use the facilities and appliances reasonably, not deliberately or negligently damage the premises or knowingly let anyone else do so, and not disturb neighbors' peaceful enjoyment. Iowa Code § 562A.17
The lease states the landlord's repair duties and the tenant's upkeep duties in the statute's terms.
Tenant repair remedies
If you materially fail to comply with the rental agreement, or with your repair duties in a way materially affecting health and safety, the tenant may give written notice specifying the breach and stating that the agreement will end on a date at least seven days after you receive it if the breach is not remedied within seven days. If you deliberately or negligently fail to supply running water, hot water, heat or essential services, the tenant may give written notice and then buy reasonable amounts of them and deduct the actual, reasonable cost from the rent, or pursue the other remedies that section allows.
Iowa Code § 562A.21 Iowa Code § 562A.23
More detail (2)
- In an action for possession based on unpaid rent, the tenant has a defense if you failed to comply with the rental agreement or your repair duties, the tenant told you at least seven days before the rent due date that the tenant intended to correct the condition at your expense, the reasonable cost was no more than one month's rent, and the tenant had it corrected in good faith before receiving your written notice of intent to terminate for nonpayment. The amount spent is deducted from the rent claimed. Iowa Code § 562A.27(4) Iowa Code § 562A.15
- None of these remedies is available for a condition caused by the deliberate or negligent act or omission of the tenant, a member of the tenant's family or another person on the premises with the tenant's consent. Iowa Code § 562A.21 Iowa Code § 562A.23 Iowa Code § 562A.27(4)
The lease states the tenant's seven-day termination notice, the essential services remedy and the repair defense to a nonpayment case, and that none applies to a condition the tenant's side caused.
Locks and security devices
Not readThis page does not state an Iowa rule on locks, rekeying or security devices. The Iowa Code is published only as PDF, and the review this page relies on recorded no rule on the subject, so it is listed as not read.
The lease requires working exterior locks and bars the tenant from changing or rekeying them without the landlord's written permission.
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Not readIowa's smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sections, Iowa Code 100.18 and 100.31, were not read for this page, so their duties are not stated here.
The lease says the landlord provides working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at the start of the tenancy and the tenant may not disable or tamper with them.
Retaliation
You may not retaliate by increasing rent, decreasing services, or bringing or threatening an action for possession after the tenant has complained to a government agency about a building or housing code violation materially affecting health and safety, complained to you about a violation of your repair duties, or organized or joined a tenants' union or similar group.
More detail (3)
- A tenant who is retaliated against may recover actual damages and reasonable attorney fees and has a defense in an action for possession. Iowa Code § 562A.36
- A good-faith complaint within one year before the alleged retaliation creates a presumption that your conduct was retaliatory, unless the tenant complained after notice of a proposed rent increase or reduction in services. Evidence that your legitimate costs of owning, maintaining or operating the unit have gone up is a defense to the presumption for a rent increase in line with those costs. Iowa Code § 562A.36
- You may still bring an action for possession when the code violation was caused mainly by lack of reasonable care by the tenant, a household member or a person on the premises with the tenant's consent, when the tenant is behind on rent, or when complying with the code requires alteration, remodeling or demolition that would effectively deprive the tenant of use of the unit. Iowa Code § 562A.36
The lease states the protected acts, the one-year presumption, the remedies and the exceptions.
Lockouts and utility shutoffs
Partly readYou may not recover or take possession of the unit by action or otherwise, including by interrupting electric, gas, water or other essential service, except after abandonment or surrender or as chapter 562A permits. This page does not summarize the tenant's remedies for an unlawful ouster, exclusion or diminution of service; they are in Iowa Code 562A.26, which the review this page relies on did not record.
Iowa Code § 562A.33 Iowa Code § 562A.26
The lease states that the landlord may not recover possession by interrupting essential services or otherwise, except after abandonment or surrender or as chapter 562A permits.
Ending a tenancy
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy by written notice given at least 30 days before the periodic rental date the notice specifies. Either party may end a week-to-week tenancy by written notice given at least 10 days before the termination date the notice specifies.
Iowa Code § 562A.34(2) Iowa Code § 562A.34(1)
More detail (2)
- Either party may end a tenancy with a term longer than month to month by written notice given at least 30 days before the end of the first or a later term that the notice specifies. Iowa Code § 562A.34(3)
- Your termination notice must be served in one of the ways section 562A.29A allows. Iowa Code § 562A.29A See Notice for unpaid rent
The lease gives the tenant 30 days and the landlord the longer of 30 days or the period the landlord sets, and states the 10-day week-to-week and 30-day end-of-term notices.
Ending a lease early
Partly readChapter 562A lets a tenant end the rental agreement early when you fail to remedy a material breach within seven days of the tenant's notice, when fire or casualty substantially impairs enjoyment of the unit, or when you enter unlawfully, enter in an unreasonable manner or harass the tenant with repeated demands for entry. If a tenant abandons the unit, you must make reasonable efforts to rent it at a fair rental. Iowa's military lease termination section (29A.101) and the federal servicemember law were not read for this page.
Iowa Code § 562A.21 Iowa Code § 562A.25 Iowa Code § 562A.29 Iowa Code § 562A.35
More detail (3)
- After a fire or casualty that substantially impairs enjoyment of the unit, the tenant may vacate immediately and notify you in writing within 14 days of the intent to terminate; the agreement then ends as of the date the tenant vacated. If continued occupancy is lawful, the tenant may instead vacate the unusable part, and the rent is reduced in proportion to the lost fair rental value. Iowa Code § 562A.25
- If the agreement ends because of the casualty, return all prepaid rent and the recoverable deposit. Iowa Code § 562A.25 Iowa Code § 562A.12
- If you rent an abandoned unit for a term beginning before the old agreement would have expired, the old agreement ends when the new tenancy begins. If you do not use reasonable efforts to rent it at a fair rental, or you accept the abandonment as a surrender, it ends as of the date you had notice of the abandonment. Iowa Code § 562A.29 See Abandoned units and property
The lease states the casualty, abandonment and unlawful entry rules; as lease terms it adds the federal servicemember termination right and lets a victim of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, stalking or human trafficking ask to end the lease on 30 days' written notice with documentation.
Notice for unpaid rent
If rent is unpaid when due, you may end the rental agreement if the tenant does not pay within three days after your written notice of the nonpayment and of your intention to terminate the agreement if the rent is not paid within that time.
More detail (2)
- Serve the notice by delivery acknowledged in a signed and dated writing by a resident of the unit who is at least 18, by personal service, or by posting it on the primary entrance door and mailing it by both regular and certified mail. First-class mail alone, certified mail alone and electronic delivery are not among the allowed methods. Iowa Code § 562A.29A
- When a notice is posted and mailed, service is complete four days after it is mailed and postmarked, so count the tenant's three days from then. Iowa Code § 562A.29A(2)
The lease states the three-day notice, what it must say and how it must be served, including the four-day rule for mailed notices.
Notice for other lease violations
For any other material noncompliance with the rental agreement, or a noncompliance with the tenant's upkeep duties materially affecting health and safety, give written notice specifying the acts and omissions and stating that the agreement will end on a date at least seven days after the tenant receives it if the breach is not remedied within seven days. If substantially the same act or omission happens again within six months, you may end the agreement on at least seven days' written notice specifying the breach and the termination date, with no chance to cure.
More detail (4)
- A breach that can be remedied by repairs, paying damages or otherwise does not end the agreement if it is adequately remedied before the termination date in the notice. Iowa Code § 562A.27(1)
- If the tenant, or a person on the premises with the tenant's consent, creates or maintains a threat constituting a clear and present danger to the health or safety of other tenants, you, your employees or agents, or other persons on or within 1,000 feet of the property, you may serve a single three-day written notice of termination and notice to quit. The notice must state the specific activity and set out the language of subsection 3 of that section. Iowa Code § 562A.27A(1) Iowa Code § 562A.27A(3) See Emergency calls and victims
- Accepting performance that varies from the rental agreement or your rules waives your right to end the agreement for that breach. You may grant a temporary waiver for a set number of days by notice of the breach and of the waiver, given before the tenant acts or fails to act in reliance on it. Iowa Code § 562A.30(1) Iowa Code § 562A.30(2)
- Serve termination notices only in the ways section 562A.29A allows. Iowa Code § 562A.29A See Notice for unpaid rent
The lease states the seven-day cure notice, the six-month repeat rule, the three-day clear and present danger notice and the waiver rule.
Eviction process
Partly readAn eviction is an action for forcible entry and detainer under Iowa Code chapter 648, brought in a county where all or part of the premises is located. The court steps are not described here: the review this page relies on recorded only the venue rule from chapter 648, and the small claims chapter was not read.
More detail (2)
- Before filing, end the tenancy with the right notice: three days for unpaid rent, seven days to cure other breaches, or three days for a clear and present danger. Iowa Code § 562A.27(2) Iowa Code § 562A.27(1) Iowa Code § 562A.27A See Notice for unpaid rent
- In a possession or rent case the tenant may raise your noncompliance as a defense, which this page does not summarize beyond the repair defense for unpaid rent. Iowa Code § 562A.24 Iowa Code § 562A.27(4)
The lease states that a possession action is brought in the county where the premises are located.
Abandoned units and property
Partly readA landlord's lien on a tenant's household goods is not enforceable, and distraint (seizing property) for rent is abolished. This page does not state how to handle personal property a tenant leaves behind: the review it relies on recorded no rule for it.
More detail (1)
- When a tenant abandons the unit, you must make reasonable efforts to rent it at a fair rental. Iowa Code § 562A.29 See Ending a lease early
As a lease term, the lease promises to handle property left behind as the law requires and to store it for at least 30 days.
Small claims
Not readIowa's small claims law, Iowa Code chapter 631, was not read for this page, so its dollar limit and procedure are not stated here.
As a lease term, the lease sends actions other than possession to the Iowa District Court for the county where the premises are located, including its small claims docket for claims within its limits.
More Iowa rules
Lease terms you cannot use
Partly readA rental agreement may not provide that either party agrees to pay the other's attorney fees, or agrees to the exculpation or limitation of the other's liability arising under law or to indemnify the other for that liability. A landlord who willfully uses a rental agreement containing a term known to be prohibited owes actual damages, up to three months' rent and reasonable attorney fees.
Iowa Code § 562A.11(1)(c) Iowa Code § 562A.11(1)(d) Iowa Code § 562A.11(3)
More detail (3)
- A court may still award attorney fees where a statute provides for them, including to the prevailing party in an action on a rental agreement. Iowa Code § 562A.12(8)
- If you receive USDA rental assistance or HUD housing assistance payments for the unit, you also may not impose a firearm or ammunition restriction in the unit. Iowa Code § 562A.11(2)
- Section 562A.11 lists further prohibited terms that this page does not summarize; read the section before adding any term that waives a tenant's rights. Iowa Code § 562A.11(1)
Emergency calls and victims
You may not prohibit or limit the right of a tenant, a family member or another occupant to call law enforcement or emergency help by or for a victim of abuse, a victim of a crime or a person in an emergency, and you may not penalize, evict or threaten to evict for it. A waiver of this right is void, and a tenant whose right is violated may recover a civil penalty of one month's rent, actual damages, reasonable attorney fees, court costs and injunctive relief; you may still end or refuse to renew a tenancy on other grounds.
More detail (2)
- A clear and present danger termination does not apply to a tenant when someone else conducts the activity and the tenant seeks a protective or similar order, reports the activity to law enforcement or the county attorney in an effort to start a criminal action, or writes to the person not to return (warning that a return may lead to a trespass or other action) and sends a copy to a law enforcement agency whose jurisdiction includes the premises, and the tenant gives you written proof of that measure before a suit is started against the tenant. Iowa Code § 562A.27A(3)
- If the tenant wrote such a letter before without also seeking an order, reporting the activity or filing a trespass or other action, and the person again causes a clear and present danger, the tenant must seek an order or report the activity to stay exempt. Iowa Code § 562A.27A(3)
The lease states the emergency call protection and the victim exemption and, as a lease term, lets a victim of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, stalking or human trafficking ask to end the lease early on 30 days' written notice.
Local rules
Rent control and local rules
Partly readIowa Code 364.3(9) bars a city from limiting rent for privately owned residential or commercial property. Iowa Code 331.304(10) places the same limit on counties. Each provision preserves authority to manage and control residential property in which that city or county has a property interest.
Iowa Code 364.3(9) Iowa Code 331.304(10)
More detail (1)
- These limits on local rent regulation do not remove the written rent-increase notice, lease-term or retaliation protections described above. Check property-specific assistance and program requirements before choosing an amount or effective date. No city or county code or housing-program rules were reviewed for this addition. Iowa Code 562A.13(5) and 562A.36
Cities and counties have their own housing, building and other codes that can add duties for rental property. None was read for this page, so no local rule is listed here; check the codes of the city and county where the property is located.
Iowa landlord questions
Is there a limit on security deposits in Iowa?
Yes. You may not demand or receive more than two months' rent as a security deposit. Rentari counts a refundable pet deposit toward the two months, because a rental deposit is any money that secures the tenant's performance other than advance rent.
How long do I have to return a security deposit in Iowa?
30 days from the date the tenancy ends and you receive the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions. Within that time, return the deposit or give a written statement of the specific reason for keeping any part of it.
What happens if I miss the deposit deadline?
If you give no written statement within the 30 days, you forfeit the right to keep any part of the deposit. Keeping it in bad faith can add punitive damages of up to twice the monthly rent.
How much can I charge as a late fee in Iowa?
When the rent is $700 a month or less, a lease may not provide for a late fee over $12 a day or $60 in total a month. When the rent is more than $700, the limits are $20 a day and $100 a month.
Do I have to give a grace period before charging a late fee?
No section of Iowa Code chapters 562A, 562 or 648 sets one, so any grace period comes from your lease.
Iowa Code ch. 562A Iowa Code ch. 562 Iowa Code ch. 648 Iowa Code § 562A.9(4)
How much notice do I give for unpaid rent?
Three days. The written notice must say the rent is unpaid and that you intend to end the rental agreement if it is not paid within three days. Serve it by acknowledged delivery to a resident at least 18, personal service, or posting on the main door plus regular and certified mail; mailed service is complete four days after mailing.
What notice do I give for other lease violations?
A written notice specifying the breach and stating that the agreement ends on a date at least seven days after the tenant receives it unless the breach is remedied in seven days. If the same breach recurs within six months, you may end the agreement on seven days' notice without a chance to cure.
How much notice do I need before entering?
At least 24 hours, and only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable.
How much notice do I need to raise the rent?
At least 30 days in writing, and the increase may not take effect before the end of the current rental agreement or its renewal.
How do I end a month-to-month tenancy?
Give written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date the notice names, served in a way section 562A.29A allows.
Can my lease make the tenant pay my attorney fees?
No. An Iowa rental agreement may not provide that either party pays the other's attorney fees, and knowingly using a prohibited term can cost actual damages, up to three months' rent and fees. A court may still award fees where a statute allows.
Iowa Code § 562A.11(1)(c) Iowa Code § 562A.11(3) Iowa Code § 562A.12(8)
What must I disclose before the tenancy starts?
The names and addresses of the property manager and of the owner or owner's agent for notices and legal papers; an explanation of utility rates and charges the tenant does not pay directly to the utility; and, if the property is listed in the federal CERCLIS database, that listing.
Iowa Code § 562A.13(1) Iowa Code § 562A.13(4) Iowa Code § 562A.13(6)
Can I change the locks or shut off utilities to get a tenant out?
No. You may not recover possession by interrupting electric, gas, water or other essential service, or otherwise, except after abandonment or surrender or as chapter 562A permits.
Is there a limit on returned check fees in Iowa?
No section of Iowa Code chapters 562A, 562 or 648 sets one. Other Iowa law on dishonored checks was not read for this page, so no state limit is stated.
Statutes read for this page
- Iowa Code chapter 562A, Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law (read whole from the Legislature's PDF for the September 23, 2026 review; not fetched again for this page)Read in full
- Iowa Code chapter 562, Owner-Lessor and Tenant-Lessee (read whole for the September 23, 2026 review)Read in full
- Iowa Code chapter 648, Forcible Entry and Detainer (read whole for the September 23, 2026 review)Read in full
- Iowa Code 2026 chapter 562A section list on legis.iowa.gov (section titles, read September 24, 2026)40 sections
- Iowa Code 2026 selected rent provisionsFull operative 562A.8, 562A.9, 562A.13 and 562A.36 text read October 15, 2026. Not a fresh full chapter or 2026 session-law audit; no PDF visual review.
- City rent-control limitComplete 364.3(9) paragraph read October 15, 2026; not full chapter 364.
- County home-rule restrictionsFull 331.304 operative section and history read October 15, 2026; selected rent-control paragraph adopted.
- Iowa Office of Civil Rights protected classesCurrent full table including housing column and protected-areas page read October 15, 2026; not full chapter 216.
- Iowa assistance- and service-animal housing requestsFull2026 sections216.8B and216.8C text and history read October15,2026; no PDF visual review. Selected request, documentation and response guidance; not full chapter216, later amendments, exemptions or case law.
Not read for this page (11)
- The Iowa Code sections on topics this page lists as not read (move-in condition, application fees, locks and flood). The Code is published only as PDF, and this page uses only rules recorded in a review of chapters 562A, 562 and 648.
- Iowa Code 29A.100 and 29A.101 (military lease termination) and the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
- Iowa Code 4.1(34), on how days are counted, including weekends and holidays. Section 562A.8A directs use of that provision, but its underlying time-computation rules were not read.
- Iowa Code 100.18 and 100.31, on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
- The rest of Iowa Code chapter 216, including housing exemptions, and federal accommodation law. Only current agency classifications and complete sections 216.8B and 216.8C were read for the selected housing additions.
- All city and county codes and property-specific housing-program rules. Only the city rent-control paragraph in 364.3(9) and county section 331.304 were read for this addition.
- Iowa Code chapter 631, small claims.
- Iowa law on fees for dishonored checks or returned payments.
- How Iowa Code 562.6 and 562A.34(3) apply together when a fixed term ends.
- Other Iowa chapters and decisions the review did not read, including chapters 124E, 537, 555B and 562B, sections 124.401 and 618.15, and the Iowa Supreme Court's January 2025 CARES Act decision.
- The exact 2026 wording of Iowa Code 562A.11(1)(a) and (b), 562A.27B's remedies and 562A.30(1); this page follows the September 23, 2026 review's transcription.