Use this Iowa move-out checklist to protect the record before a deposit dispute starts. Step 1 is preventive: it gives the landlord the information Iowa law makes important and shows you are organized before the 30-day issue appears.
Must-do Iowa step
Give your mailing address or delivery instructions in writing and keep proof. Iowa's clean 30-day deposit timeline depends on the landlord receiving that information after the tenancy ends.
Before you leave
- Review the lease for move-out duties.
- Photograph and video every room.
- Save move-in photos, condition forms, and maintenance messages.
- Clean and remove your property.
- Keep receipts for cleaning or repairs you handled.
At move-out
- Return keys, access cards, remotes, and parking passes.
- Document when and how you returned possession.
- Send your mailing address or delivery instructions in writing.
- Ask where and how the landlord wants to handle the deposit and written statement.
- Keep a copy of your move-out message.
After move-out
Track Iowa's 30-day return-or-written-statement deadline from the date the tenancy ended and the landlord received your mailing address or delivery instructions.
If no refund or written statement arrives, send a written follow-up. If deductions are made, compare them to your photos, lease, and move-out records.
Start with the preventive move-out notice, then follow the Iowa sequence if the deposit is not handled correctly.
Get the Iowa Recovery SystemRelated pages
- Evidence to keep
- Iowa security deposit deadline
- Iowa security deposit demand letter
- Iowa Recovery System
Important
This page provides general educational information and is not legal advice.