Iowa landlord-tenant law.

Security deposits

Deposit limit. 2 months' rent maximum, with no separate furnished or pet-deposit category (Iowa Code Section 562A.12(1)).

Getting it back. Landlord must return the deposit or send a written, itemized statement of deductions within 30 days of tenancy termination and receipt of the tenant's forwarding address or delivery instructions; missing that deadline forfeits the right to withhold anything, and bad-faith retention exposes the landlord to punitive damages up to twice the monthly rent plus actual damages (Iowa Code Section 562A.12(3), (4), (7)).

Late fees and rent

Statutory cap, not just a reasonableness rule: for rent of $700 a month or less, max $12 a day or $60 a month total; for rent over $700 a month, max $20 a day or $100 a month total (Iowa Code Section 562A.9(4)).

Ending a tenancy

Nonpayment of rent. 3-day written notice of nonpayment (and landlord's intent to terminate) before the landlord may terminate for unpaid rent; a separate 7-day cure-or-quit notice applies to other lease violations (Iowa Code Section 562A.27(1), (2)).

Month-to-month termination. 30 days' written notice by either party to end a month-to-month tenancy, or a tenancy longer than month-to-month, prior to the next term; a week-to-week tenancy needs only 10 days' notice (Iowa Code Section 562A.34(1), (2), (3)).

Landlord entry

At least 24 hours' notice of intent to enter, and entry only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or when 24 hours' notice is impracticable (Iowa Code Section 562A.19(2), (3)).

Required disclosures

• Name and address of the person authorized to manage the premises, and of the owner or the owner's agent for service of process, in writing at or before the start of the tenancy (Iowa Code Section 562A.13(1))
• Full explanation of utility rates, charges, and services before the lease is signed, unless the tenant pays the utility company directly (Iowa Code Section 562A.13(4))
• Written notice of any rent increase at least 30 days before it takes effect (Iowa Code Section 562A.13(5))
• Disclosure if the property is listed in the federal CERCLIS/Superfund database (Iowa Code Section 562A.13(6))
• Federal lead-based paint disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. Section 4852d)

Lease clauses that do not hold up

• Tenant or landlord waiving rights or remedies under Chapter 562A, with a narrow carve-out for certain agricultural-land single-family rentals (Iowa Code Section 562A.11(1)(a))
• Confession-of-judgment clauses (Iowa Code Section 562A.11(1)(b))
• Clauses requiring one party to pay the other's attorney fees (Iowa Code Section 562A.11(1)(c))
• Exculpatory or indemnification clauses shifting a party's own legal liability to the other party (Iowa Code Section 562A.11(1)(d))

Notes for landlords

Iowa's late fee caps are a hard statutory ceiling regardless of what the lease says, in place since a 2013 amendment to Section 562A.9. Missing the 30-day deposit return and itemization deadline is high risk because it triggers automatic forfeiture of any right to withhold, on top of possible punitive damages for bad-faith retention.

Sources

• https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.9.pdf
• https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.12.pdf
• https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.27.pdf
• https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.34.pdf
• https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.19.pdf
• https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.13.pdf
• https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.11.pdf