Security Deposit Withheld
landlord tenant attorney Iowa Aug 25, 2026
Location: Iowa I am asking for legal advise regarding my security deposit in Iowa. I thought I left my previous apartment in good condition when I moved out. I did accidentally leave some cleaning supplies under the sink, but the room was a 450 square foot studio, so there wasn’t a lot of space to leave dirty. Today, I received a letter from my landlord with the itemized list of damages. They charged me $300 for painting, $350 cleaning, and labor for changing the lock on the door without giving specific damages associated with the charges. Iowa law 562A.12 states that “A landlord shall, within thirty days from the date of termination of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant’s mailing address or delivery instructions, return the rental deposit to the tenant or furnish to the tenant a written statement showing the specific reason for withholding of the rental deposit or any portion thereof.” (Full law is linked below). My interpretation of this is that they must give the specific reason the charge was placed, and simply “painting” or “cleaning” do not suffice. Do you think I have a case to appeal and get my deposit back? Thank you in advance. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/2024/562A.12.pdf
