Iowa security deposit demand letter
Ask for your deposit with the Iowa law behind your request. Download the free PDF or Word template, or fill in your dates and figures below.
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Before sending in Iowa
Give delivery instructions with your request
Iowa's 30-day period depends on termination and receipt of your mailing address or delivery instructions. Record both before calling the deposit overdue.
What records should support deductions?
No receipts requirement, but in any deposit action it is the landlord who bears the burden of proving the reason for withholding by a preponderance (§ 562A.12(3)(b)).
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Choose your situation, then add your figures. No account or payment. Unfilled details stay in brackets for you to edit.
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[Your name] [Your current mailing address] [Date] [Landlord or property manager name] [Address designated for notices] SENT VIA CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED RE: Request for return of security deposit - [rental property address] Dear [Landlord]: I vacated the property on [move-out date] and paid a security deposit of $[deposit amount]. Under Iowa Code § 562A.12: Within 30 days from termination of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions (§ 562A.12(3)(a)) - the clock does not start until the address is provided. REQUEST Please return $[amount requested] of my deposit to the mailing address above. Please explain any deductions you maintain and provide the itemized statement and supporting records required by the applicable law. If the statutory conditions are met, under Iowa Code § 562A.12(7), bad-faith retention of my deposit exposes you to punitive damages of up to two months' rent, in addition to actual damages. Please respond by [response date after any required notice or cure period]. This requested date does not shorten any applicable statutory notice or cure period. If this remains unresolved after the applicable requirements are satisfied, I intend to pursue the remedies available in small claims court. Sincerely, [Your signature] Enclosures: [List the records you are actually attaching.]
Review your dates and the records behind each charge before signing. The free analysis can help you assess disputed deductions and possible additional recovery.
From a blank request to a documented demand
See what your case documents add.
The free editor fills in your facts. The analysis reviews your charges and applicable rules; your paid case documents bring together the letter, damages summary and organized evidence checklist.
One charge, made specific.
Iowa example: repainting ordinary wall scuffs, $900. The example assumes the tenancy is covered by the cited law; no tenant result is implied.
A starting request
I disagree with the $900 charge for repainting ordinary wall scuffs. Please return that amount.
The free editor lets you add your own reasons and records.
In the generated letter
Ordinary wear and tear - not deductible. Repainting after a tenancy is ordinary wear and tear unless the walls were damaged beyond normal use (large holes, unauthorized colors). Dated move-in and move-out photos help distinguish ordinary wear from tenant-caused damage.
Records to attach: move-in photos and move-out photos.
State-law reference: Iowa Code § 562A.12 ↗The amount stays tied to the facts: $1,100 withheld - $200 in accepted charges = $900 disputed in this sample.
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Open PDF to zoom ↗Sample Iowa case. Letter and exhibit pages extracted from a generated case PDF. Your letter uses your own facts and state law.
Read the complete Iowa sample letter
Fictional Iowa case. Generated sample, not a court outcome or a substitute for your own letter.
Maya Patel (fictional tenant)
[Fictional current mailing address]
September 08, 2026
Daniel Reed (fictional landlord)
[Fictional landlord mailing address]
SENT VIA CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
RE: Demand for return of security deposit - [Fictional Iowa rental address]
Dear Daniel Reed (fictional landlord):
I vacated the above rental property on August 01, 2026 and paid a security deposit of $2,000.00. Under Iowa Code § 562A.12 (Iowa Security Deposit Law), the applicable return rule is: Within 30 days from termination of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions (§ 562A.12(3)(a)) - the clock does not start until the address is provided.
DISPUTED DEDUCTIONS
I dispute the following deductions under Iowa Code § 562A.12 for the reasons below. Please provide the records supporting each disputed charge, including the work, cost, and condition at issue. For replacement charges, explain the item's age and how you calculated the amount charged:
• Repainting ordinary wall scuffs - $900.00
Ordinary wear and tear - not deductible. Repainting after a tenancy is ordinary wear and tear unless the walls were damaged beyond normal use (large holes, unauthorized colors). Dated move-in and move-out photos help distinguish ordinary wear from tenant-caused damage.
I do not contest the following deductions, totaling $200.00: Unpaid rent balance ($200.00).
This demand does not cancel any accepted debt. Any separate claim or counterclaim must credit amounts already paid or retained toward that debt.
DEMAND
I demand payment of $900.00, the amount improperly withheld from my deposit.
This demand includes all interest accrued on my deposit, which state law requires: Interest earned during the first 5 years of the tenancy belongs to the landlord; earnings after that belong to the tenant (Iowa Code § 562A.12(2)).
Please deliver payment to the address above no later than September 22, 2026 (14 days from the date of this letter). This requested date does not shorten any statutory notice or cure period. If this remains unresolved after the applicable notice, service and waiting requirements are satisfied, I intend to file suit in small claims court. I have retained dated photographs of the property's condition, the lease, our correspondence, your itemized statement, the repair receipts you provided, and this demand letter.
Sincerely,
Maya Patel (fictional tenant)
Enclosures: Evidence exhibit listSend it with a record you can use.
Include clear delivery instructions and request specific reasons for every withheld amount. For restoration charges, identify the condition and why you consider it ordinary wear or pre-existing damage.
Iowa Code § 562A.12: return and accounting ↗What happens after sending?
Compare the response with the permitted reasons for withholding. Keep your address notice, lease and condition evidence available if the dispute continues.
They refund some or all of it
Save the payment record and update what remains disputed. Read any settlement or release before agreeing to it.
They reject the request or explain the deductions
Match each explanation to your lease and condition records. Reply with the specific amounts and reasons still disputed.
The letter comes back or nobody responds
Keep the envelope or tracking record. Check the address and required service method before using the Iowa filing guide. Attempted delivery may not complete statutory service.
Frequently asked questions
Which return deadline should my Iowa letter refer to?
Within 30 days from termination of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions (§ 562A.12(3)(a)) - the clock does not start until the address is provided. If no written statement arrives within 30 days of termination and receipt of the tenant's address, the landlord 'shall forfeit all rights to withhold any portion of the rental deposit' (§ 562A.12(4)).
What penalties does Iowa law allow if the withholding was wrongful?
Bad-faith retention subjects the landlord to punitive damages of up to two months' rent, in addition to actual damages (§ 562A.12(7)). A merely late return without bad faith yields forfeiture of the right to withhold, not punitives. Our calculator approximates the rent-based cap as one deposit on top of the refund.
What happens if the landlord ignores the letter?
You can file in small claims court (limit: $6,500; filing fees $115 statewide). Check required notices, filing deadlines and the court's rules before filing.
Iowa filing steps and court forms →