1. Except as provided in this chapter, if there is a material noncompliance by the tenant with the rental agreement or a noncompliance with section 562A.17 materially affecting health and safety, the landlord may deliver a written notice to the tenant specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than thirty days after receipt of the notice if the breach is not remedied in fourteen days, and the rental agreement shall terminate as provided in the notice subject to the provisions of this section. If the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages or otherwise and the tenant adequately remedies the breach prior to the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement shall not terminate. If substantially the same act or omission which constituted a prior noncompliance of which notice was given recurs within six months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement upon at least fourteen days' written notice specifying the breach and the date of termination of the rental agreement.
2. If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant fails to pay rent within three days after written notice by the landlord of nonpayment and the landlord's intention to terminate the rental agreement if the rent is not paid within that period of time, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement.
3. Except as provided in this chapter, the landlord may recover damages and obtain injunctive relief for noncompliance by the tenant with the rental agreement or section 562A.17 unless the tenant demonstrates affirmatively that the tenant has exercised due diligence and effort to remedy any noncompliance, and that the tenant's failure to remedy any noncompliance was due to circumstances beyond the tenant's control. If the tenant's noncompliance is willful, the landlord may recover reasonable attorney's fees.
4. In any action by a landlord for possession based upon nonpayment of rent, proof by the tenant of the following shall be a defense to any action or claim for possession by the landlord, and the amounts expended by the claimant in correcting the deficiencies shall be deducted from the amount claimed by the landlord as unpaid rent:
a. That the landlord failed to comply either with the rental agreement or with section 562A.15; and
b. That the tenant notified the landlord at least fourteen days prior to the due date of the tenant's rent payment of the tenant's intention to correct the condition constituting the breach referred to in paragraph "a" of this subsection at the landlord's expense; and
c. That the reasonable cost of correcting the condition constituting the breach is equal to or less than one month's periodic rent; and
d. That the tenant in good faith caused the condition constituting the breach to be corrected prior to receipt of written notice of the landlord's intention to terminate the rental agreement for nonpayment of rent.
[C79, 81, § 562A.27]
Referred to in § 562A.27A, 562A.29A, 562A.32, 648.3
Iowa General Assembly
Search: Iowa Code 1995
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