Iowa Landlord Repair Duties & Habitability Rights (2026)

What a landlord must fix, and your options when they do not

At a glance

• Core duty: Iowa Code § 562A.15 — 房东义务：遵守影响健康安全的建筑/住房法规、保持 fit and habitable、common area 清洁安全、维护电气/管道/卫生/供暖/通风/空调/电梯、垃圾容器与清运、供水+热水+合理供暖。
• Notice before acting: 562A.21：影响健康安全的违约，租客书面通知后房东须在 14 天内修复；未修复租约在通知后不少于 30 天终止。
• Governing authority: Iowa Code § 562A.15

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers the landlord's duty to maintain a habitable home in Iowa, and what you can do when repairs go unmade.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conditions you caused yourself (which are treated differently).

The landlord's duty

Iowa Code § 562A.15 — 房东义务：遵守影响健康安全的建筑/住房法规、保持 fit and habitable、common area 清洁安全、维护电气/管道/卫生/供暖/通风/空调/电梯、垃圾容器与清运、供水+热水+合理供暖。

爱荷华适居性义务是 6 项清单式立法（URLTA）。单户/多户住宅可书面约定租客承担特定维修（须善意、非规避，562A.15(2)(3)）。

Iowa Code § 562A.15 ↗

What the duty covers in practice

Notice and time to cure

562A.21：影响健康安全的违约，租客书面通知后房东须在 14 天内修复；未修复租约在通知后不少于 30 天终止。

Iowa Code § 562A.21 ↗

Your remedies when repairs go unmade

Landlord entry rules

房东进入须至少 24 小时通知（562A.19），仅合理时间；紧急豁免。

Iowa Code § 562A.19 ↗

When the duty does not apply

缺陷系租客或经其同意的他人造成的，房东无义务（562A.21(1)(c)）。

Iowa Code § 562A.21(1)(c) ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
Iowa Code § 562A.15	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Iowa Code § 562A.15(1)(a)(1)-(2)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Iowa Code § 562A.15(1)(a)(3)-(4)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Iowa Code § 562A.15(1)(a)(5)-(6)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Iowa Code § 562A.21	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Iowa Code § 562A.23	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Iowa Code § 562A.27(4)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Iowa Code § 562A.19	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Iowa Code § 562A.21(1)(c)	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Iowa guides

Iowa Security Deposit Return · Iowa Security Deposit Rules · Iowa Eviction Process · Iowa Rent Increase Rules · Iowa Landlord Retaliation

→ All Iowa tenant rights topics

Common questions