How Long Can You Stay In Your Apartment Without Paying Rent In Iowa?

Welcome to the end of the month, that wonderful time when our rent is due.

A lot of us have had interesting relationships with our landlords, whether they be good or bad. Anything dealing with money (especially the amount of rent) can cause emotions to run high and patience to run low. I've had some fantastic and problematic landlords in the past but no matter how you feel about yours, it's just about time to cough up rent for the month.

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The two most common reasons that landlords evict a tenant are for not paying rent or for violating a lease agreement. But in Iowa, the penalty for the two differ in one specific way.

How Long Can You Stay Somewhere If You Don't Pay Rent?

Some apartment buildings or complexes might have a predetermined grace period for rent that could last anywhere from a few days to a week. But otherwise, you don't have much time. According to Iowa Code, in Iowa, you have three days to stay somewhere if you fail to pay rent. As soon as rent is late but before filing the eviction lawsuit in court, the landlord must give the tenant a three-day notice to move out. Legal website Nolo words it like this:

The notice must state that the tenant has three days to either pay rent or the lease will terminate. If the tenant does not pay rent within the three-day time period, the landlord can terminate the lease and begin eviction proceedings against the tenant.

 

But Three Days Isn't Always The Case

It depends on why you're being evicted. Nolo says that if you're being evicted for some lease violation, it will be seven days before you have to leave the property instead of the three for not paying rent. As soon as the landlord finds out that their tenant has broken anything in the lease, they can give the tenant a seven-day notice.

So as you should always do: don't forget to be diligent on when rent is due and don't violate parts of your lease.