Iowa landlord repair laws
What your landlord is required to fix, how long they have once you put it in writing, and what Iowalaw lets you do if they don't.
The deadline
7 days after written notice
Under Iowa Code § 562A.21(1), the rental agreement terminates on a date not less than seven days after your receipt of this notice if the breach is not remedied in seven days.
Iowa Code § 562A.15 · Iowa Code §§ 562A.21, 562A.23
What your landlord must maintain
Under Iowa Code § 562A.15, a landlord must make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition, maintain electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning facilities, and supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable heat.
Conditions the statute covers
- ✓No working heat
- ✓No running water
- ✓No hot water
- ✓Electrical system not working or unsafe
- ✓Plumbing not in working order
- ✓Sewage backup or unsanitary conditions
- ✓Air conditioning not working (where supplied)
- ✓Supplied appliances not working — stove, refrigerator
- ✓Unsafe floors, stairs, railings, ceiling, or roof
- ✓Roof, window, or plumbing leak causing damage
- ✓Mold growth
- ✓Rodent or insect infestation
- ✓Common areas unsafe or unsanitary
- ✓No garbage receptacles or removal
- ✓Broken exterior door, window, or lock
- ✓Building or housing code violation
What you can do about it
Once written notice has been given and the statutory period has passed, you may terminate the rental agreement and recover prepaid rent and my deposit, and recover damages and obtain injunctive relief under § 562A.21(2) — including reasonable attorney fees if the noncompliance is willful — or, as an alternative for a failure to supply running water, hot water, heat or essential services, procure those services and deduct their actual and reasonable cost under § 562A.23, recover diminution-in-fair-rental-value damages, or recover rent already paid for the period of noncompliance.
Iowa has no repair-and-deduct remedy. Paying for a repair and subtracting the cost from your rent is not authorized here, and doing it anyway can put your tenancy at risk. Use the remedies the statute actually provides.
Retaliation is illegal
Iowa Code § 562A.36 provides that evidence of a good-faith complaint within one year prior to an alleged act of retaliation creates a presumption of retaliation, and permits recovery of actual damages and reasonable attorney fees.
Limits and exceptions
Under § 562A.23(2) a tenant who proceeds on the essential-services remedy may not also proceed under § 562A.21 as to that same breach — the two paths are an election, not a stack. Under § 562A.15(2) the landlord and tenant of a single-family residence may agree in writing that the tenant perform the garbage-receptacle and water, hot water and heat duties.
Put it in writing — the way the statute expects
We'll write your notice citing Iowa Code § 562A.15, the deadline it gives your landlord, and what happens if they miss it. Free to generate and download. If you want it sent USPS Certified Mail with tracking, we do that too.
Write my Iowa repair noticeCommon questions
- How long does a landlord have to make repairs in Iowa?
- Under Iowa Code § 562A.21(1), the rental agreement terminates on a date not less than seven days after your receipt of this notice if the breach is not remedied in seven days. That clock starts when your landlord receives written notice — which is why how you send it matters.
- Can I withhold rent or repair it myself in Iowa?
- Iowa does not provide a repair-and-deduct remedy — paying for a repair and subtracting it from rent is not something the statute allows here, and doing it can put your tenancy at risk. Your remedies are terminate the rental agreement and recover prepaid rent and my deposit, and recover damages and obtain injunctive relief under § 562A.21(2) — including reasonable attorney fees if the noncompliance is willful — or, as an alternative for a failure to supply running water, hot water, heat or essential services, procure those services and deduct their actual and reasonable cost under § 562A.23, recover diminution-in-fair-rental-value damages, or recover rent already paid for the period of noncompliance.
- Can my landlord retaliate if I ask for repairs in Iowa?
- Iowa Code § 562A.36 provides that evidence of a good-faith complaint within one year prior to an alleged act of retaliation creates a presumption of retaliation, and permits recovery of actual damages and reasonable attorney fees.
- Do I have to put a repair request in writing in Iowa?
- Yes — and it is the single most important step. Under Iowa Code §§ 562A.21, 562A.23, the landlord's obligations and your remedies run from written notice. A text message or a phone call generally leaves you arguing about whether and when your landlord was told.
Moving out of this Iowa rental?
Iowa gives your landlord 30 days to return your security deposit under Iowa Code § 562A.12. See the deposit rules →
Verified against Iowa's published statute text on August 11, 2026 — read the statute yourself. General information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm.