How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Iowa?

No more than two months' rent. The cap comes from Iowa Code 562A.12, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.

Which Iowa statutes does this lease cite?

Iowa Code 562A.12, Iowa Code 562A.34, Iowa Code 562A.19 and Iowa Code 562A.13, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this Iowa lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Iowa statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Iowa landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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Iowa Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in Iowa. The deposit, notice, entry and disclosure clauses follow Iowa statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Different state?

Page one of the Iowa Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

Iowa rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No more than two months' rent
Deposit return: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the Landlord receives the Tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, the Landlord returns the deposit or sends a written statement giving the specific reasons for withholding any part of it, and a Landlord who misses that deadline forfeits the right to withhold any portion.
Where the deposit is kept: The deposit is held for the Tenant in a bank, savings and loan association or credit union insured by an agency of the federal government, is not commingled with the Landlord's personal funds, and any interest earned during the first five years of the tenancy belongs to the Landlord.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice.
Landlord entry: The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice before entering, enters at a reasonable time, and needs no notice in an emergency.
Disclosures: 4 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Statutes: Iowa Code 562A.12, Iowa Code 562A.34, Iowa Code 562A.19, Iowa Code 562A.13. Read the Iowa statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in Iowa

Pick Iowa and four parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, the entry clause and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the Iowa statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Start with the deposit. Iowa caps it at two months' rent, and the statute also says where the money sits while the tenant lives there. The return rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and takes the right to keep any of it away from a landlord who misses the deadline and turns on the tenant's forwarding address.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy works the same from both sides in Iowa. Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice.

Before coming in, the landlord gives notice, and Iowa puts a number on it. The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice before entering, enters at a reasonable time, and needs no notice in an emergency.

The disclosures checklist carries three Iowa items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them a full explanation of utility rates, charges and services before the rental agreement is signed, unless the Tenant pays the utility company directly, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

This row notes no city or county overlay for Iowa; if the property is in a city with its own rental ordinance, check it before signing. The state clauses follow four sections of Iowa law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the Iowa clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for Iowa, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the Landlord receives the Tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, the Landlord returns the deposit or sends a written statement giving the specific reasons for withholding any part of it, and a Landlord who misses that deadline forfeits the right to withhold any portion. The deposit may not exceed two months' rent. The deposit is held for the Tenant in a bank, savings and loan association or credit union insured by an agency of the federal government, is not commingled with the Landlord's personal funds, and any interest earned during the first five years of the tenancy belongs to the Landlord.

Entry

The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice before entering, enters at a reasonable time, and needs no notice in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice Iowa law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
Name and address of the person authorized to manage the Premises and of the owner or the owner's agent for service of process, notices and demands, in writing at or before the start of the tenancy (Iowa Code 562A.13(1))
A full explanation of utility rates, charges and services before the rental agreement is signed, unless the Tenant pays the utility company directly (Iowa Code 562A.13(4))
Whether the Premises is listed in the federal comprehensive environmental response compensation and liability information system, in writing before the tenancy begins (Iowa Code 562A.13(6))

Footer of the PDF: Iowa clauses follow Iowa Code 562A.12, Iowa Code 562A.34, Iowa Code 562A.19, Iowa Code 562A.13 as read on 2026-10-23.

Iowa lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Iowa?: No more than two months' rent. The cap comes from Iowa Code 562A.12, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.
When does the security deposit come back in Iowa?: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the Landlord receives the Tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, the Landlord returns the deposit or sends a written statement giving the specific reasons for withholding any part of it, and a Landlord who misses that deadline forfeits the right to withhold any portion.
Where does a Iowa landlord keep the deposit?: The deposit is held for the Tenant in a bank, savings and loan association or credit union insured by an agency of the federal government, is not commingled with the Landlord's personal funds, and any interest earned during the first five years of the tenancy belongs to the Landlord.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Iowa?: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice.
How much notice does a Iowa landlord give before entering?: The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice before entering, enters at a reasonable time, and needs no notice in an emergency.
What does a Iowa landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Iowa checklist has three items: name and address of the person authorized to manage the Premises and of the owner or the owner's agent for service of process, notices and demands, in writing at or before the start of the tenancy; a full explanation of utility rates, charges and services before the rental agreement is signed, unless the Tenant pays the utility company directly; and whether the Premises is listed in the federal comprehensive environmental response compensation and liability information system, in writing before the tenancy begins. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Which Iowa statutes does this lease cite?: Iowa Code 562A.12, Iowa Code 562A.34, Iowa Code 562A.19 and Iowa Code 562A.13, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this Iowa lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Iowa statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Iowa landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A Iowa lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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