An Iowa lease termination notice is a document which officially announces the upcoming end of a rental tenancy. Either a landlord or tenant may give notice, in most cases at least 30 days in advance.
| Notice Form | Lease Type |
| 10 Day Notice To Vacate | Weekly |
| 30 Day Notice To Vacate | Monthly / Longer Term |
An Iowa 10 Day Notice To Vacate terminates a week-to-week lease, or a situation with no written lease where the tenant pays rent weekly. The non-terminating party must receive notice at least ten (10) calendar days before the termination date. [1]
An Iowa 30 Day Notice To Vacate terminates a month-to-month or fixed-term tenancy, as well as an expired lease or a situation without a written lease where the tenant pays rent monthly. The non-terminating party must receive notice at least thirty (30) calendar days before the date of termination. [2]
To ensure the legal compliance of a lease termination notice:
It is easy to lose an otherwise justified legal action because of improper notice. Check carefully to ensure enough time after notice is delivered , not when it’s sent.
The “clock” for a lease termination notice starts “ticking” the day after the notice gets delivered (served). For example, to give at least 30 days of notice and terminate a tenancy as of June 30th, delivery of the termination letter must be no later than May 31st.
In most jurisdictions, if the last day of a notice period is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the period continues to run until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
Iowa has complicated laws for delivery of a lease termination notice, with different standards for landlords and tenants and different rules for different types of termination. The following rules cover most rental situations. In all cases, mailed notice extends a notice period by four (4) calendar days, to account for variable delivery times. [3]
Iowa landlords may deliver a lease termination notice to a tenant by any of the following methods: [4]
Iowa tenants may deliver a lease termination notice to a landlord by any of the following methods: [5]
The landlord or the tenant may terminate a week-to-week tenancy by a written notice given to the other at least ten days prior to the termination date specified in the notice.
The landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by a written notice given to the other at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice.
The landlord or the tenant may terminate a tenancy having a term longer than month-to-month by a written notice given to the other at least thirty days prior to the end of the first or subsequent term of the tenancy specified in the notice.
Notice served by mail under this section is deemed completed four days after the notice is deposited in the mail and postmarked for delivery, whether or not the recipient signs a receipt for the notice.
Mailed deliveries under more narrow notice requirements are held to the same standard. See Iowa Code § 562A.29A(2) (“ Notice served by mail under this section is deemed completed four days after the notice is deposited in the mail and postmarked for delivery, whether or not the recipient signs a receipt for the notice. ”)
A written notice of termination required under section 562A.27, subsection 1, 2, or 5, a notice of termination and notice to quit required under section 562A.27A, a landlord’s written notice of termination to the tenant required under section 562A.34, subsection 1, 2, or 3, or a notice to quit required by section 648.3, shall be served upon the tenant by one or more of the following methods:
a. Delivery evidenced by an acknowledgment of delivery that is signed and dated by a resident of the dwelling unit who is at least eighteen years of age. Delivery under this paragraph shall be deemed to provide notice to all tenants of the dwelling unit.
b. Personal service pursuant to rule of civil procedure 1.305, Iowa court rules, for the personal service of original notice. [i.e., personal service; service to property resident at least 18 years old, incl. family, roommate, or manager/proprietor, if receiving party resides in a rooming house, hotel, club, or apartment building; or service to receiving party’s spouse, if there is a reasonable belief the spouse resides with the receiving party. See Iowa R. Civ. P. 1.305(1).]
c. Posting on the primary entrance door of the dwelling unit and mailing by both regular mail and certified mail, as defined in section 618.15, to the address of the dwelling unit or to the tenant’s last known address, if different from the address of the dwelling unit. A notice posted according to this paragraph shall be posted within the applicable time period for serving notice and shall include the date the notice was posted.
A tenant shall serve notice on a landlord by one or more of the following methods:
(1) Hand delivery to the landlord or the landlord’s agent designated under section 562A.13.
(2) Delivery evidenced by an acknowledgment of delivery that is signed and dated by the landlord or the landlord’s agent designated under section 562A.13.
(3) Personal service pursuant to rule of civil procedure 1.305, Iowa court rules, for the personal service of original notice. [i.e., personal service; service to property resident at least 18 years old, incl. family, roommate, or manager/proprietor, if receiving party resides in a rooming house, hotel, club, or apartment building; or service to receiving party’s spouse, if there is a reasonable belief the spouse resides with the receiving party. See Iowa R. Civ. P. 1.305(1).]
(4) Delivery to an employee or agent of the landlord at the landlord’s business office.
(5) Mailing by both regular mail and certified mail, as defined in section 618.15, to the address of the landlord’s business office or to an address designated by the landlord for mailing.
(6) A method of providing notice that results in the notice actually being received by the landlord.
