Iowa Lease Agreement with ezSign

Iowa Residential Lease Agreement

Iowa Landlords need a Lease Agreement that complies with all Iowa Lease laws. Plus, the Lease should be customized to cover all terms of the rental unit. Our Lease does both, plus it’s EZ to create. Here’s how:

1. Follow user-friendly prompts to customize your Lease. The entire Lease-building process takes most Landlords LESS THAN 15 MINUTES!
2. As you build your Lease, you’ll get State Assist Tips that point out important state laws.
3. All Iowa-required language, clauses, or disclosures are AUTOMATICALLY added to your Lease.
4. Additional documents, disclosures, or addendums can be added to the Lease Package with just the click of a button.
5. Both the Landlord and Tenant can review AND SIGN the Lease online using our eZSign tool.

Create Iowa Lease

Landlord-Tenant Laws

All Iowa-required terms, clauses, and disclosures are automatically included in our Lease Agreement. So you don’t need to worry about these when drafting your Lease!

But, Pro Landlords need to be familiar with state laws when managing their property, so here’s an overview of some key issues:

Category	State Law
Ending and Renewing	Week-to-Week: The tenancy may be terminated by a written notice given at least 10 days prior to the end date specified in the notice. Month-to-Month: The tenancy may be terminated by a written notice given at least 30 days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice. Fixed-Term Leases: Notice to end the Lease shall be specified within the Rental Agreement. If no notice requirement is specified, then the Lease ends and the Tenant shall vacate the premises.
Security Deposit	Landlords may not collect a security deposit that is greater than 2 months' rent. All security deposits shall be held in a bank or savings and loan association or credit union.
Returned Payment Fee	The maximum fee that may be charged for a dishonored payment is $30, provided it is specified within the lease or posted conspicuously.
Late Fee	When the rent is: $700 per month or less, the maximum late fee is $12 per day to a maximum late fee permitted of $60 per month. More than $700, the maximum per day limit goes from $20 per day to a maximum monthly limit of $100.
Insurance Requirements	Landlords may require Tenants to obtain rental insurance.
Notice to Enter	Landlords are required to give at least 24 hours’ notice to enter the Leased premises.
Landlord Requirements	If the tenant is to be responsible for the maintenance of the property it should be so stated in the rental agreement. SUBLEASING A tenant has the right to sublet unless the Rental Agreement specifically prohibits this.

Contact your local housing or zoning office to be sure your rental property complies with city and county requirements for inspections, rent control, occupancy limits, property codes, and zoning. Many cities and counties require inspections and registrations and have specific maintenance regulations.

Des Moines: City code requires that all rental properties have a rental inspection certificate before occupancy. Fees are payable to the City of Des Moines and addressed to the Neighborhood Inspection Zoning Division.

Required Disclosures

All required disclosures are AUTOMATICALLY included in our Iowa Lease Agreement. Plus, if you want to add additional documents, disclosures, or addendums, we have over 25 you can choose from. For example, a Pet Addendum,a Winter Weather Addendum, or a Pest Control - Bed Bug Addendum.

Just check a box to add them to your Lease Package!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Lease Agreement need to be notarized in Iowa?

No, Residential Lease Agreements do not need to be notarized in Iowa. As long as they meet the requirements or a Lease Agreement and are signed by both parties, they’re considered legally binding and fully enforceable.

What is the Standard Lease term in Iowa?

The standard lease term is one year (12 months). However, longer and shorter terms are recognized as long as the term is clearly stated in the Lease Agreement.

To help meet each Landlord’s need, we have a short-term Lease Agreement, a Vacation Rental Contract, Month-to-Month Lease Agreements, and long-term Lease Agreements.

Do Iowa Lease Agreements have to be in writing?

Verbal Lease Agreements are recognized in Iowa for a term of one year. Longer Rental Contracts must be in writing. That said, we highly recommend that you always have at least a basic, simple written Lease Agreement in place before handing over possession of your rental unit.

If renters break the Lease, you want to have the terms in writing. If there is a Lease violation or other Tenant problems, it’s the Lease that will protect the Landlord. Because of this, it’s always important to have a written Lease Agreement in place.

While a blank, fillable Lease Agreement, like the one offered by the Iowa Association of Realtors, is better than nothing, it doesn’t provide Landlords with complete protection. Because of this, we advise Landlords to avoid generic, simple Lease forms and instead invest in a customizable, state-specific Lease Agreement.

You have a lot invested in your rental unit, so it’s important to make sure your investment is protected.

Who needs a Lease Agreement in Iowa?

Anyone who rents real estate should have a Lease Agreement in place before handing over possession to Tenants. This is true whether it’s an apartment, condo, duplex, or single-family home. It’s the Lease Agreement that protects the Landlord, or lessor if problems arise. Should you ever need to go to court, the Lease can mean the difference between winning and losing.

To make sure you and your investment are protected, you should always have a quality Lease Agreement in place before giving Tenants keys to your rental property!

What are important Iowa renters’ rights and Landlord responsibilities?

Here are a few of the most important Landlord responsibilities: Landlords should make any needed repairs within 7 days of being notified of the issue; Landlords must return the security deposit within 30 days of when a Tenant moves out; 30-day notice is required before raising rent; Landlords must give 24 hours’ notice before entering a rental unit.

What’s the best way to store an Iowa Lease?

There are lots of good ways to store your Lease Agreement. The most important things to keep in mind are that you need to make sure it’s 1) stored securely and 2) stored somewhere where you can access and refer to it whenever needed.

Once they’re signed, our Lease Agreements are automatically stored securely on the cloud using our ezCloudStorage. In addition, they’re EZ to print or download as a PDF.

Other Popular Forms

The Lease is just one of the many forms that Landlords need. That’s why we have a library of over 400 forms for the entire Landlord Lifecycle!

• Rental Application: Use our Free Rental Application to start your Tenant screening process.
• Tenant Welcome Letter: Customize this letter to share important information with Tenants at move-in!
• Move-In/Move-Out Walkthrough Checklist: This checklist makes it EZ to document the condition of your rental unit at move-in and move-out. It’s a must if you collect a security deposit!
• Rent Ledger: Use this ledger to keep track of all rent payments and documentation for any missed payments.

Iowa State Specific Documents

• Iowa 3-Day Notice to Quit for Nonpayment of Rent: This notice should be used for Tenants that have unpaid rent. It’s a necessary first step in the eviction process.
• Iowa 7-Day Notice to Comply: This form should be used for a Lease violation other than nonpayment of rent.
• Iowa 7-Day Notice to Vacate: This form should be used when a Tenant violates the Lease within 6 months of a notice to comply. At this point, the Tenant does not have the option to cure the violation.
• Iowa Forced Entry Detainer Form for Eviction: This is the form that Landlords use to initiate eviction proceedings after giving the necessary notice.
• Iowa 30-Day Notice to Terminate Lease: This Notice should be used by Landlords for termination of a month-to-month Lease Agreement.
• Iowa 3-Day Notice to Quit and Vacate: Use this document if a Tenant fails to vacate the premises within 30 days after being issued a 30-Day Notice to Terminate.

Need another property management form? We have over 400 more in our library!

Other State Lease Agreements

• Illinois Residential Lease Agreement: The EZ way to comply with all Illinois Lease laws.
• Minnesota Rental Contract: Guaranteed to comply with all Minnesota and St. Paul Lease laws.
• Missouri Lease Agreement: Our Missouri Lease Agreement complies with all Missouri Lease laws and all the Lease laws of St. Louis and Kansas City, MO.
• Nebraska Residential Lease Agreement: Create a great Nebraska Lease Agreement online in minutes.
• South Dakota Rental Contract: Enjoy unlimited access to our electronic signing tool, ezSign.
• Wisconsin Residential Lease Agreement: Create the complete Wisconsin Lease Agreement.

Need another state Lease Agreement? We’ve got them all!