Iowa eviction notice and late fee rules

Notice for unpaid rent

3 days — If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant does not pay within three days after written notice of nonpayment and of the landlord's intent to terminate, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

Either party may end a week-to-week tenancy with written notice at least ten days before the termination date, and a month-to-month tenancy with written notice at least thirty days before the periodic rental date specified in the notice.

Late-fee limit

For rent of $700 or less per month, a late fee may not exceed $12 per day or $60 per month total; for rent above $700 per month, it may not exceed $20 per day or $100 per month total.

Grace period before a late fee

None found in the statutes we read

Notice for unpaid rent

If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant does not pay within three days after written notice of nonpayment and of the landlord's intent to terminate, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement.

“If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant fails to pay rent within three days after written notice by the landlord of nonpayment and the landlord’s intention to terminate the rental agreement if the rent is not paid within that period of time, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement.”
Iowa Code § 562A.27(2)

Paying to stop an eviction

If a remediable breach is adequately remedied before the date in the notice, the agreement does not terminate; if substantially the same breach recurs within six months, the landlord may terminate on at least seven days' written notice.

“If the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages or otherwise and the tenant adequately remedies the breach prior to the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement shall not terminate. If substantially the same act or omission which constituted a prior noncompliance of which notice was given recurs within six months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement upon at least seven days’ written notice specifying the breach and the date of termination of the rental agreement.”
Iowa Code § 562A.27(1)

Notice for other lease violations

For a material noncompliance with the rental agreement or § 562A.17 affecting health and safety, the landlord may give written notice that the agreement will end not less than seven days after receipt if the breach is not remedied in seven days.

“the landlord may deliver a written notice to the tenant specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than seven days after receipt of the notice if the breach is not remedied in seven days,”
Iowa Code § 562A.27(1)

Ending a month-to-month or other periodic tenancy

Either party may end a week-to-week tenancy with written notice at least ten days before the termination date, and a month-to-month tenancy with written notice at least thirty days before the periodic rental date specified in the notice.

“1. The landlord or the tenant may terminate a week-to-week tenancy by a written notice given to the other at least ten days prior to the termination date specified in the notice. 2. The landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by a written notice given to the other at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice.”
Iowa Code § 562A.34(1)-(2)

Lockouts and utility shutoffs

If the landlord unlawfully removes or excludes the tenant or willfully interrupts essential services, the tenant may recover possession or terminate, and recover actual damages, punitive damages up to twice the monthly rent, and reasonable attorney fees.

“If the landlord unlawfully removes or excludes the tenant from the premises or willfully diminishes services to the tenant by interrupting or causing the interruption of electric, gas, water, or other essential service to the tenant, the tenant may recover possession pursuant to section 648.1, subsection 1, or terminate the rental agreement and, in either case, recover the actual damages sustained by the tenant, punitive damages not to exceed twice the monthly rental payment, and reasonable attorney fees.”
Iowa Code § 562A.26

Retaliation

A landlord may not retaliate by increasing rent, decreasing services, or bringing or threatening a possession action after any of the tenant actions listed in the statute.

“Except as provided in this section, a landlord may not retaliate by increasing rent or decreasing services or by bringing or threatening to bring an action for possession after:”
Iowa Code § 562A.36(1)

A good-faith complaint within one year before the alleged retaliation creates a presumption of retaliation.

“In an action by or against the tenant, evidence of a good-faith complaint within one year prior to the alleged act of retaliation creates a presumption that the landlord’s conduct was in retaliation.”
Iowa Code § 562A.36(2)

What the notice must say and how it is delivered

Three days' written notice to quit is required before an eviction action, but a landlord who has given a three-day notice to pay rent and terminated under § 562A.27(2) may file without a separate notice to quit.

“However, a landlord who has given a tenant three days’ notice to pay rent and has terminated the tenancy as provided in section 562A.27, subsection 2, or section 562B.25, subsection 2, if the tenant is renting the manufactured or mobile home or the land from the landlord, may commence the action without giving a three-day notice to quit.”
Iowa Code § 648.3(1)

Notice served by mail is deemed completed four days after it is deposited in the mail and postmarked, whether or not the recipient signs a receipt.

“Notice served by mail under this section is deemed completed four days after the notice is deposited in the mail and postmarked for delivery, whether or not the recipient signs a receipt for the notice.”
Iowa Code § 562A.8(1)(a), (2)

Court deadlines and the eviction case

The court must set the eviction hearing no later than eight days from filing, or no later than fifteen days if the plaintiff requests or consents to a later date.

“The court shall set the date of hearing no later than eight days from the filing date, except that the court shall set a later hearing date no later than fifteen days from the date of filing if the plaintiff requests or consents to the later date of hearing.”
Iowa Code § 648.5(1)(a)

Late fees and grace periods

For rent of $700 or less per month, a late fee may not exceed $12 per day or $60 per month total; for rent above $700 per month, it may not exceed $20 per day or $100 per month total.

“For rental agreements in which the rent does not exceed seven hundred dollars per month, a rental agreement shall not provide for a late fee that exceeds twelve dollars per day or a total amount of sixty dollars per month. For rental agreements in which the rent is greater than seven hundred dollars per month, a rental agreement shall not provide for a late fee that exceeds twenty dollars per day or a total amount of one hundred dollars per month.”
Iowa Code § 562A.9(4)

If you have received a notice

1. Write down the date you received it and how it was delivered.
2. Check what it asks for — payment, fixing a problem, or moving out — and the deadline it gives against the Iowa rules above.
3. Keep paying what you can document; ask for receipts.
4. If you receive court papers, note the response deadline on them; a legal-aid office or the court’s self-help center can help.

Check another situation with the eviction notice checker or the late fee checker.

Common questions

How much notice does a landlord in Iowa have to give for unpaid rent?

If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant does not pay within three days after written notice of nonpayment and of the landlord's intent to terminate, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement. (Iowa Code § 562A.27(2)).

How much notice is needed to end a month-to-month tenancy in Iowa?

Either party may end a week-to-week tenancy with written notice at least ten days before the termination date, and a month-to-month tenancy with written notice at least thirty days before the periodic rental date specified in the notice. (Iowa Code § 562A.34(1)-(2)).

Is there a limit on rent late fees in Iowa?

For rent of $700 or less per month, a late fee may not exceed $12 per day or $60 per month total; for rent above $700 per month, it may not exceed $20 per day or $100 per month total. (Iowa Code § 562A.9(4)).