Iowa Housing Resources & Tenant Rights

Iowa follows the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law (Iowa Code Chapter 562A). Deposits are capped at two months’ rent, nonpayment starts with a 3-day notice, and self-help lockouts are illegal. Iowa is also a preemption state: a 2021 law (Senate File 252) barred cities from requiring landlords to accept Housing Choice Vouchers, voiding ordinances in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Marion as of January 1, 2023, and rent control is preempted (Iowa Code 364.3(9)). Vouchers are run by about 19 local authorities, not the state. This page covers the authorities to apply to, the tenant-law framework, and where to get help.

Major Iowa public housing authorities

Iowa has no single statewide voucher agency — Housing Choice Vouchers are run by roughly 19 municipal and regional authorities, while the Iowa Finance Authority handles only finance and tax credits. Most big-city waitlists have been closed, so apply wherever a list is open:

• Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency — PHA IA020, (515) 323-8950; the HCV list has been closed, but the Mainstream (non-elderly disabled) voucher list has opened
• Cedar Rapids Housing Services — PHA IA024, (319) 286-5872; Section 8 waitlist closed
• Davenport Housing Commission — PHA IA045, (563) 326-7969; HCV waitlist closed
• Iowa City Housing Authority — PHA IA022, (319) 356-5400; HCV and public-housing waitlists closed

Use HUD’s PHA directory and read how to find your PHA. For tax-credit apartments, search HUD’s LIHTC database.

Iowa Finance Authority & state programs

The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) (1-800-432-7230, iowafinance.com) is the state housing finance agency but does not run vouchers. It allocates Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, issues bonds, runs the State Housing Trust Fund and HOME, administers project-based Section 8 contracts for hundreds of properties, and operates a disaster-triggered Eviction Prevention Program for renters at or below 80% of area median income. For a voucher, you still apply to a local authority.

Emergency rent & utility help in Iowa

• Eviction Prevention Program — through IFA when triggered, plus the Emergency Solutions Grant for those facing homelessness
• 16 Community Action Agencies — deliver emergency rent, weatherization, and utility help statewide
• LIHEAP — the Iowa Department of Health & Human Services funds heating help (Oct 1–Apr 30) through those agencies; dial 211 for the current list and emergency rental assistance

Iowa tenant law: key protections at a glance

Security deposits

Iowa caps the deposit at two months’ rent (Iowa Code 562A.12(1)). After you move out and give a mailing address, the landlord must return it or a written itemized statement of deductions within 30 days, or forfeit the right to withhold (562A.12(3)). Read how to recover your security deposit.

Eviction process & how long it takes

For nonpayment, a landlord must serve a 3-day notice to pay or quit; if you pay within those three days, the landlord cannot terminate (Iowa Code 562A.27(2)). Other lease violations get a 7-day cure period. The landlord then files a forcible-entry-and-detainer action, and the hearing is set no later than eight days after filing (Chapter 648), so the whole process commonly runs three to four weeks. Contact Iowa Legal Aid (1-800-532-1275) — about half its cases are housing — and read how to avoid eviction.

Source of income & recent law changes

Iowa has no source-of-income protection, and it is one of the states that actively preempts it. After Des Moines, Iowa City, and Marion passed ordinances protecting voucher holders, the Legislature overrode them with Senate File 252 (2021), codified at Iowa Code 364.3(16); those ordinances became void and unenforceable on January 1, 2023. So a landlord may legally refuse a Housing Choice Voucher anywhere in Iowa. See our source-of-income protections guide.

Veteran & supportive housing in Iowa

• HUD-VASH (veterans) — a voucher paired with VA case management; see how to apply for HUD-VASH
• Mainstream vouchers — for non-elderly people with disabilities; Des Moines has opened this list when the general HCV list was closed
• Eviction prevention — our eviction prevention hub explains defenses and what to do before your court date

Nearby states

Comparing states or planning a move? Iowa’s neighbors handle notice, deposits, and vouchers differently:

• Nebraska tenant rights — a 7-day notice and Lincoln’s voucher protection
• South Dakota tenant rights — no notice-to-quit since 2024
• Minnesota tenant rights — source-of-income protection
• Missouri tenant rights
• Illinois tenant rights

Where to get help in Iowa

Tenant help & legal aid: Iowa Legal Aid (1-800-532-1275) serves all 99 counties from ten offices, with roughly half its caseload in housing.

Discrimination complaints: the Iowa Civil Rights Commission (515-281-4121 or 800-457-4416; housing intake 515-242-5556) enforces fair-housing law — file within 300 days.

Vouchers & local PHAs: apply to your city or regional authority through the HUD PHA directory.

211 helpline: dial 2-1-1 for rent, utility, and shelter help statewide.

Next Steps

Not sure where to start? Our Where to Start tool maps Iowa programs to your situation in about two minutes.

If you get a 3-day notice, note that paying within those three days stops a nonpayment eviction — call Iowa Legal Aid (1-800-532-1275) and read eviction prevention.