Iowa rental housing bills

What it would do: Amends Iowa property law to expand the definition of rent, change prohibited rental agreement provisions from willful use to enforcement, allow landlord access to secure mobile homes after removal orders, clarify notice procedures for tenants, extend the peaceable possession bar from 30 to 90 days, and permit disposal of remaining personal property after eviction.

What it would do: Allows a tenant's direct notification to a city utility about their responsibility for utility charges to serve as acceptable written notice when the landlord has an active rental license, instead of requiring the landlord to provide written notice.

What it would do: Permits tenants and landlords to consent to electronic mail service of notices under residential landlord-tenant law and forcible entry and detainer actions. Requires forcible entry and detainer hearings to be held remotely unless a party requests in-person proceedings, and mandates sealing of court records when defendants are found not guilty, cases are dismissed, or other specified circumstances occur.

What it would do: Allows tenants who are victims of elder abuse, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, or certain crimes to terminate rental agreements without penalty by providing written notice and supporting documentation, with termination effective 14 to 30 days after notice.

What it would do: Modifies landlord-tenant and forcible entry and detainer law by redefining rent, changing service of notice rules, extending the bar to eviction from 30 to 90 days, allowing disposal of remaining personal property, and requiring court records to be sealed in certain residential eviction cases.

What it would do: Limits rent increases in manufactured home communities and mobile home parks to once per calendar year unless reasonably necessary due to increased insurance premiums or infrastructure-related expenses paid by tenants.

What it would do: Allows tenants to test rental units for radon and requires landlords to install certified mitigation systems if levels reach four picocuries per liter or higher, with tenants able to terminate leases and recover deposits if mitigation fails within ninety days.

What it would do: Requires courts to seal residential forcible entry and detainer action records in specified circumstances, including when defendant is found not guilty, case is dismissed, or plaintiff fails to appear, and allows sealing of guilty verdicts for nonpayment of rent after seven years if conditions are met.

What it would do: Amends Iowa property law to redefine rent to include utilities and late fees, clarify notice service timing and methods, change landlord access rules for mobile homes, alter enforcement prohibitions in rental agreements, extend the peaceable possession bar from 30 to 90 days in eviction proceedings, and allow disposal of personal property after removal.

What it would do: Allows landlords of manufactured home communities connected to water mains to elect direct water service provision to individual tenants through written agreements with water systems, establishing terms for submeters, billing, infrastructure responsibility, and tenant notification.

What it would do: Allows landlords to evict tenants posing clear and present danger with three days' notice, and permits peace officers to remove tenants without court order if danger is confirmed. Limits residential eviction actions to 30 days from notice to quit to order to quit.

What it would do: Prohibits utilities from billing landlords or placing liens on their property for unpaid tenant utility charges when the tenant is responsible under the rental agreement. Establishes civil penalties of $500-$5,000 per violation and allows landlords to recover damages and attorney fees.

What it would do: Allows landlords to seek compensation for damage caused by tenants' assistance, emotional support, service, or therapy animals through three methods: income tax setoff, refundable tax credit, or voluntary insurance risk pool. Permits damage deposits for emotional support and therapy animals but not service animals, and creates a simple misdemeanor for misrepresenting animals as assistance animals.

What it would do: Removes the prohibition that prevents cities from adopting regulations, restrictions, ordinances, conditional use permit requirements, or license and permit fees relating to short-term rental properties.

What it would do: Limits rent increases for current tenants in residential units and mobile home spaces to the higher of the consumer price index increase or property value increase over the previous twelve months, and requires ninety days written notice before any increase takes effect.

What it would do: Restricts manufactured home community and mobile home park landlords from terminating tenancies except for material noncompliance, legitimate business reasons, or land use changes; limits rent increases to 180-day notice and one-year intervals; caps late fees; restricts utility charges to actual costs plus five dollars monthly; prohibits certain rental agreement provisions; and excludes mobile homes from nonjudicial foreclosure.

What it would do: Allows cities to adopt ordinances requiring registration of short-term rental properties and to apply penalties for failure to register. Permits cities to classify short-term rental properties as lodging for purposes of collecting hotel and motel tax under chapter 423A.

What it would do: Prohibits landlords with five or more residential rental properties and algorithmic rent-setting system providers from engaging in price fixing or using nonpublic competitor data to coordinate rent levels. Establishes civil penalties up to $5,000 per unit per month and allows enforcement by attorneys general, county attorneys, city attorneys, and tenants.

What it would do: Allows tenants who are victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, elder abuse, or certain crimes to terminate rental agreements without penalty by providing written notice and supporting documentation, with termination effective 14 to 30 days after notice.

What it would do: Requires landlords in mobile home parks and manufactured home communities to cancel rental agreements only if tenants materially violate them, prohibiting cancellation solely to make space available for other tenants. Applies to agreements entered into or renewed after the effective date.

What it would do: Prohibits landlords from discriminating against tenants based on source of income, including housing vouchers, public assistance, and retirement benefits. Applies to both residential rental units and mobile home spaces.

What it would do: Prohibits counties and cities with populations greater than 75,000 from adopting regulations or ordinances relating to short-term rentals, requiring conditional use permits, or charging license or permit fees for short-term rental properties, and classifies such properties as residential land use for zoning purposes.

What it would do: Requires landlords to refund 50 percent of an application fee to prospective tenants who are not selected to rent the dwelling unit.

What it would do: Authorizes cities to require radon testing for single family residences used as rental property when owners apply for or renew rental permits, with specified retesting intervals and requirements for radon mitigation system installation if test results equal or exceed four picocuries per liter.