Iowa Landlord Tenant Law Carpet Cleaning

Previous to de stefano many iowa landlords automatically charged tenants security deposits for professional carpet cleaning either at the end of the lease or the end of the tenancy.

Iowa landlord tenant law carpet cleaning.

Automatic carpet cleaning provisions. If the carpet cleaning does not exceed a professional cleaner s normal rate and the carpet doesn t have any actual damage landlords should not charge a tenant for dirty carpets. The iowa supreme court in destefano v. All sources are cited appropriately.

Iowa has a group of laws referred to as iowa s uniform residential landlord and tenant law which spells out the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants in the state. A landlord cannot make you pay for carpet cleaning automatically. Typically landlords may use a tenant s security deposit for any cleaning or repairs necessary to restore the rental unit to its condition at the beginning of the tenancy landlords may not however use the deposit to cover the costs of ordinary wear and tear. How much can a landlord charge for cleaning.

The official state statutes and other reputable municipal sources were used to research this information. The amount that a landlord can charge for cleaning a unit depends on the state the unit was rented out in the state the unit was returned in and the general rules of wear and tear. And the longer a tenant has lived in a place the more wear and tear can be expected. Duties of landlords iowa code 562a 15.

A rental agreement is the understanding between the landlord and tenant. It does not cover all situations. Under california landlord tenant guidelines a carpet s useful life is eight to 10 years. Can a landlord evict a tenant for being messy.

Included in these rules are the right to fair housing laws for landlord entry and specific rent disclosure requirements. Downtown 879 n w 2d 155 iowa 2016 explained what tenants can and cannot be charged for carpet cleaning. The cost of replacing the carpet after 10 years falls to the landlord. This article summarizes some key iowa landlord tenant laws applicable to residential rental units.

What qualifies as regular wear and tear at a rental property. Lease provisions that require the tenant to pay for carpet cleaning at the end of a lease regardless of actual damage are illegal and unenforceable. Atcp 134 06 3 c states that a landlord may not withhold from tenant s security deposit for routine painting or carpet cleaning where there is no unusual damage caused by tenant abuse madison general ordinance 32 07 14 forbids withholding for routine carpet cleaning in the city of madison. With that said landlord tenant laws are always changing and may even vary from county to county.

It may be in writing or oral.