Quick Reference: Chapter 562B at a Glance

If you manage a manufactured home community in Iowa, the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act is not your statute.

Chapter 562A expressly excludes these tenancies, and Chapter 562B governs instead. It contains its own definitions, rental agreement rules, deposit provisions, maintenance obligations, access rules, termination procedures, abandonment rules and tenant remedies.

The two figures to fix in mind are the notice periods. Rent increases require 90 days under § 562B.14(7), and cancellation generally requires 90 days under § 562B.10(5). The equivalent URLTA periods are 30 days for a rent increase under § 562A.13(5) and 30 days to terminate a month-to-month tenancy under § 562A.34. Managers overseeing both conventional residential rentals and manufactured home communities should therefore avoid assuming that one notice calendar covers both.

This guide covers what makes 562B different, the disclosure rules managers need to follow, the sale and access provisions that are particularly important for community operators, and the termination and abandonment machinery.

What the Chapter Covers, and What It Does Not

A mobile home park means any site, lot, field or tract of land on which three or more mobile, manufactured or modular homes are placed on developed spaces and operated as a for-profit enterprise with water, sewer or septic, and electrical services available, under § 562B.7(7).

A mobile home space is a parcel of land for rent designed to accommodate a mobile home and provide the required sewer and utility connections.

Note what the chapter is primarily about. It governs the rental of the mobile home space, while also regulating several issues involving the home itself, including sales, abandonment, registration, improvements and access. Section 562B.7(3) defines "dwelling unit" to exclude real property used to accommodate a manufactured or mobile home, a distinction that explains the access rule discussed below.

Exclusions. Under § 562B.5, the chapter does not apply to occupancy in or operation of public housing under Chapter 403A, or under any federal law or regulation with which it might conflict.

Small claims are available. Under § 562B.6(1), an action under the chapter may be brought as a small claim under Chapter 631.

The Disclosure Rules Managers Need to Follow

Section 562B.7(4) defines "landlord" as the owner, lessor or sublessor of the community, and it also means a manager of the community who fails to disclose as required by section 562B.14.

• What must be disclosed.
  Under § 562B.14(2), the landlord or any person authorised to enter into a rental agreement on the landlord's behalf must disclose in writing at or before entering into the rental agreement the name and address of the person authorised to manage the community, and of the owner or a person authorised to act for the owner for service of process and for receiving notices and demands. Under (3) that information must be kept current and refurnished on request, enforceable against any successor landlord, owner or manager.

• The consequence.
  Under § 562B.14(4), a person who fails to comply with subsections 1 and 2 becomes an agent of each person who is a landlord for service of process and notices, and for performing the obligations of the landlord under the chapter and the rental agreement and expending or making available for that purpose all rent collected from the community.
  
  

  Read subsection (4) carefully: it is triggered by failure to comply with subsections 1 and 2, and subsection 1 is the separate duty under § 562B.14(1) requiring the landlord to offer the tenant the opportunity to sign a written agreement. Both limbs matter, because the consequence in subsection (4) attaches to failure on either.

• The 10-day rule.
  Under § 562B.14(5), where there is a written rental agreement, the landlord must tender and deliver a signed copy to the tenant, and the tenant must sign and deliver one fully executed copy to the landlord, within 10 days after the agreement is executed. Noncompliance is deemed a material noncompliance by whichever party failed.

• Utilities in writing, before signing.
  Under § 562B.14(6), the landlord must give a written explanation of utility rates, charges and services before the agreement is signed, unless the tenant pays the utility directly. Rate increases are notified like rent increases, except that if the landlord receives less than 90 days' notice from the provider, no prior notice to the tenant is required.

• And there is an exit.
  Under § 562B.17(2), a manager is relieved of liability under the rental agreement and the chapter as to events occurring after written notice to the tenant of the termination of the person's management, though that notice does not terminate any liability arising before it.

The 90-Day Rules

These are the provisions most likely to catch a manager who also runs conventional rentals.

• Rent increases:
  90 days. Under § 562B.14(7), each tenant must be notified in writing of any rent increase at least 90 days before the effective date, and that effective date shall not be sooner than the expiration date of the original rental agreement or any renewal or extension.

Two constraints, not one. Ninety days of notice is necessary but not sufficient; the increase also cannot take effect mid-term.

• General cancellation rule: 90 days.
  Under § 562B.10(5), rental agreements shall be for a term of one year unless otherwise specified, and shall be cancelled by at least 90 days' written notice given by either party. That is the general rule, subject to other provisions of the chapter that set different periods in specific circumstances. Section 562B.10(7), for example, provides a 60-day cancellation route where a tenant who was sole owner of a mobile home dies during the term, exercisable by the heirs, the personal representative or the landlord.

• And a prohibited reason.
  The same subsection provides that a landlord shall not cancel a rental agreement solely for the purpose of making the tenant's mobile home space available for another mobile home, which is a significant restriction for community operators.

• The definition of "rent" is broad.
  Under § 562B.7(10), as amended in 2022, "rent" means a payment to be made to the landlord under the rental agreement including base rent, utilities, late fees, and other payments. Managers should review proposed changes to recurring tenant charges carefully rather than assuming the 90-day rule reaches base rent only.

• When a community changes hands.
  Section 562B.16A provides that on termination of the landlord's interest in the community, the successor in interest has the same legal obligations, rights and remedies of the landlord, including with respect to all rental agreements. It applies to community or park sale transactions made on or after 1 July 2022.

• Timing note on the 2022 amendments.
  Several 2022 changes, including the definition of rent, the one-year default term and cancellation period, and the 90-day rent increase notice, apply to rent increases first noticed under Chapter 562B occurring on or after 17 May 2022.

• Late fees.
  Under § 562B.10(4), the tiers match the URLTA: where rent does not exceed $700 per month, no more than $12 per day or $60 per month; where rent is greater than $700, no more than $20 per day or $100 per month.

Access: The Home Is Not Yours to Enter

The access rule is especially important for community managers, because Chapter 562B distinguishes the tenant-owned mobile home from the rented mobile home space.

Under § 562B.20(1), the landlord shall not have the right of access to a mobile home owned by a tenant unless access is necessary to prevent damage to the mobile home space or is in response to an emergency situation.

There is no notice period, no reasonable-hours provision and no inspection right, because there is no general right of entry into the home at all.

Under § 562B.20(2), the landlord may enter onto the mobile home space to inspect it, make necessary or agreed repairs or improvements, supply agreed services, or exhibit the space to prospective purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors. The line is between the space and the home: entry onto the lot for those purposes is permitted, entry into a tenant-owned home is not.

Abuse of access cuts both ways. Under § 562B.31(1), if the tenant refuses lawful access to the space, the landlord may terminate and recover actual damages. Under § 562B.31(2), unlawful entry, lawful entry in an unreasonable manner, or repeated demands that unreasonably harass the tenant allow the tenant to obtain injunctive relief or terminate, and in either case to recover actual damages not less than one month's rent plus attorney fees.

Landlord Maintenance Duties

Section 562B.16(1) lists six duties. The landlord shall:

1. Comply with applicable city, county and state codes materially affecting health and safety which are primarily imposed on the landlord

2. Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the mobile home space in a fit and habitable condition

3. Keep all common areas in a clean and safe condition

4. Maintain in good and safe working order all facilities supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord

5. Provide for removal of garbage, rubbish and other waste from the community

6. Furnish outlets for electric, water and sewer services

Duty 6 is the one to note. The landlord furnishes the outlets; under § 562B.18(6) the tenant maintains in good and safe working order all utility lines, pipes and cables extending from the mobile home to those outlets, except where the tenant does not own the home.

A restriction on tied services. Under § 562B.16(2), the landlord may not impose conditions restricting the tenant's choice of a seller of fuel, furnishings, goods, services or mobile homes, unless necessary to protect health, safety, aesthetic value or welfare. Reasonable utility connection standardisation is permitted, and any resulting charges may not exceed the actual cost incurred. Section 562B.12 separately provides that no agreement or security instrument may permit the receipt of rent unless the landlord has agreed to comply with § 562B.16(1).

The Tenant's Right to Sell, and Six Prohibited Practices

Section 562B.19(3) prohibits the landlord from doing any of the following. These provisions are particularly important for manufactured home community operators.

(a) Denying rental unless the tenant cannot conform to the community rules.

(b) Requiring an entrance or exit fee of any kind as a precondition to renting, occupying or removing from a space, unless for services actually rendered or pursuant to a written agreement.

(c) Denying a resident the right to sell their home at a price of the resident's own choosing. The landlord may reserve approval of the purchaser as a tenant, but that permission may not be unreasonably withheld. On a third-party sale, to upgrade the community, the landlord may require a home in a rundown condition or in disrepair to be removed within 60 days. A denied purchaser must receive written notice of the denial and the general reason, though not a specific one.

(d) Exacting a commission or fee on the price the tenant realises on the sale, unless the operator acted as the owner's agent under a written agreement.

(e) Requiring permanent improvements which cannot be removed without damage at expiration.

(f) Prohibiting tenant meetings about mobile home living and community affairs in the community or recreational hall, at reasonable hours when the facility is not otherwise in use.

Rules generally. Under § 562B.19(1), rules bind only if written, purposive, reasonably related, fairly applied, sufficiently explicit, not for the purpose of evading the landlord's obligations, and given to the prospective tenant before the agreement is entered into. Changes require 30 days' notice, and a rule adopted mid-tenancy binds only if it does not work a substantial modification of the agreement.

Improvements stay with the tenant. Under § 562B.10(8), improvements except a natural lawn remain the tenant's property even if affixed to the ground and may be removed before termination, provided the space is left in substantially the same or better condition.

Deposits

• Cap and holding.
  Under § 562B.13(1) the deposit may not exceed two months' rent. Under (2) it must be held in a federally insured bank, credit union or savings and loan, must not be commingled with the landlord's personal funds, may be held in a common trust account which may be interest-bearing, and any interest earned is the landlord's property.

• Return.
  Under (3), within 30 days from termination and receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, the landlord must return the deposit or furnish a written statement showing the specific reason for withholding, specifying the nature of the damages where withholding is for restoration. Permitted deductions are limited to three: default in rent or other funds due; restoring the space to its condition at commencement, ordinary wear and tear excepted; and removing, storing and disposing of a home abandoned as defined in § 562B.27.

• The forfeiture rule.
  Under (5), failure to provide a written statement within 30 days forfeits all rights to withhold any portion. Under (4) the burden of proving the reason sits with the landlord on the preponderance. Also under (5), if no address is provided within one year, the deposit reverts to the landlord.

• Bad faith.
  Under (8), bad faith retention carries punitive damages not to exceed $200 plus actual damages, a materially lower exposure than the URLTA's twice-monthly-rent measure.

• On a sale.
  Under (6) and (7), the landlord transfers the deposit to the successor and notifies the tenant, or returns it. If the tenant does not object to the stated amount within 20 days of written notice, the successor's obligation is limited to that amount, and the notice must contain a stamped envelope addressed to the successor.

Terminating a Tenancy

• Nonpayment: three days.
  Under § 562B.25(2), if rent is unpaid when due and the tenant fails to pay within three days after written notice of the nonpayment and of the landlord's intention to terminate, the landlord may terminate.

• Breach: thirty and fourteen.
  Under § 562B.25(1), for material noncompliance with the agreement or with § 562B.18 materially affecting health and safety, written notice specifying the acts and omissions states that the agreement will terminate on a date not less than 30 days after receipt if the breach is not remedied in 14 days. Adequate remedy before the stated date prevents termination.

• Repeat: fourteen days.
  If substantially the same act recurs within six months of a prior noticed noncompliance, the landlord may terminate on at least 14 days' written notice.

• Clear and present danger: three days.
  Section 562B.25A permits termination on a single three days' written notice of termination and notice to quit stating the specific activity, where the tenant has created a threat constituting a clear and present danger to other tenants, the landlord, employees or agents, or others on or within 1,000 feet of the property. Listed activities include physical assault or its threat, illegal firearm use or possession, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. The notice must set forth the language of subsection 3, the tenant's exemption provisions, which apply where a third party conducted the activity, the tenant took one of three specified measures, and the tenant gives written proof to the landlord before suit.

• Emergency assistance is protected.
  Section 562B.25B prohibits a landlord from restricting a resident's or tenant's right to summon law enforcement or other emergency assistance for a victim of abuse, a victim of a crime, or an individual in an emergency, and from imposing penalties for exercising that right. Prohibited penalties expressly include the actual or threatened assessment of penalties, fines or fees and actual or threatened eviction. Any waiver is void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy.
  
  

  The section does not prevent a landlord recovering the cost of repairing property damage caused by responding personnel, nor terminating or refusing to renew on grounds other than the exercise of that right. A violation entitles the tenant to a civil penalty equal to one month's rent, actual damages, reasonable attorney fees, court costs and injunctive relief. Subsection 2 imposes parallel restrictions on cities, counties and other governmental entities.

• Failure to maintain.
  Under § 562B.26, where tenant noncompliance with § 562B.18 materially affects health and safety and is remediable by repair, replacement or cleaning, and the tenant fails to comply as an emergency requires or within 14 days after written notice, the landlord may enter the space, have the work done skillfully, and bill the actual and reasonable cost as additional rent on the next rent date.

• Acceptance waives.
  Under § 562B.28, accepting performance that varied from the agreement or rules waives the right to terminate for that breach, unless otherwise agreed after the breach.

• Service of notices.
  Under § 562B.27A, termination notices under §§ 562B.10(5), 562B.25 and 562B.25A, and a § 648.3 notice to quit, are served by acknowledged delivery signed by a resident aged 18 or over, personal service under rule 1.305, or posting on the primary entrance door plus regular and certified mail. Posting must fall within the notice period and show the date posted. For notices served by mail under these provisions, service is deemed complete four days after the notice is deposited in the mail and postmarked.

Abandonment and the Registration Form

Section 562B.27 includes a documentation requirement that community managers should build into the move-in process.

The definition. A tenant is considered to have abandoned a mobile home when absent from it without reasonable explanation for 30 days or more, during which there is either a default of rent three days after rent is due, or the agreement is terminated under § 562B.25.

A tenant's return does not change the home's abandoned status unless the tenant pays the landlord the costs specified in § 562B.27(1), including removal, storage, notice and attorney fees, and all rent and utilities due and owing.

Notifying claimants. Under (2)(a), the landlord must notify the home owner or other claimant, including a lienholder, of liability for costs incurred for the space. That person is liable only for costs incurred 90 days before the landlord's communication, with later costs becoming their responsibility. The home may not be removed from the space without a signed written clearance from the landlord confirming debts are paid, or an agreement with the owner or claimant. Where there is no lien other than for taxes, the landlord may use the Chapter 555B procedure, which may be combined with a possession action under Chapter 648 or damages under § 562B.30.

The registration form. Under (3), a required standardised registration form must be filled out by each tenant on renting a space, showing the make, year and serial number, whether the home is paid for, whether there is a lien and the lienholder, and the name of the legal owner. Forms are kept on file as long as the home is on the space, and the tenant must notify the landlord within 10 days of any new lien, change or settlement.

That form gives the landlord the information needed to identify the owner and any lienholder if an abandonment question later arises.

Tenant Remedies and Retaliation

• Noncompliance by the landlord.
  Under § 562B.22(1), the tenant may serve written notice specifying the breach and stating the agreement will terminate on a date not less than 30 days after receipt if the breach is not remedied in 14 days, and under (2) may also recover damages and obtain injunctive relief. The tenant may not terminate for a condition the tenant, a family member or a person there with consent caused.

• Essential services.
  Under § 562B.23A, where the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply running water or other essential services, the tenant may give written notice and then procure reasonable amounts and deduct the actual and reasonable cost from rent, recover damages based on diminution in fair market value, or recover rent already paid on a pro rata basis. A tenant using this section may not also proceed under § 562B.22 for that breach.

• Unlawful ouster.
  Under § 562B.24, unlawful removal or exclusion, or wilful interruption of electric, gas, water or other essential service, allows the tenant to recover possession, require restoration or terminate, and recover not more than two months' periodic rent and twice the actual damages.

• Retaliation.
  Under § 562B.32(1), the landlord may not retaliate by increasing rent, decreasing services, bringing or threatening a possession action, or failing to renew after the tenant complained in good faith to a governmental agency, complained to the landlord of a § 562B.16 violation, joined a tenants' union, or exercised rights under Chapter 562B or Chapter 216.
  
  

  Under (2), evidence of a complaint within one year before the alleged retaliation creates a presumption, which the statute defines to mean the trier of fact must find the presumed fact unless contrary evidence is introduced. It does not arise where the complaint followed notice of termination. Under (3), the landlord may still sue for possession where the violation was caused primarily by the tenant's lack of reasonable care, or where the tenant is in default of rent three days after it is due.

• Holdover.
  Under § 562B.30(2), a tenant remaining without consent allows an action for possession and actual damages, and where the holdover is wilful and not in good faith, up to two months' periodic rent and twice the actual damages, plus attorney fees and costs in any event.

Prohibited Lease Provisions

Section 562B.11 prohibits several types of lease provision. Under subsection (1), a rental agreement may not provide that either party waives rights or remedies under the chapter, pays the other party's attorney fees, agrees to exculpation, limitation of liability or indemnity, agrees to a designated agent for the sale of the tenant's mobile home, or agrees to modify the home in a way that would substantially impair the tenant's ability to move it from the space, unless required by law, the manufacturer's installation instructions, the landlord's financing, or safe and proper installation.

A prohibited provision is unenforceable, and where a party knowingly uses an agreement containing provisions known to be prohibited, the other party may recover actual damages. Nothing prevents requiring the tenant to maintain liability insurance naming the landlord as an insured for the space.

Sales of homes by the landlord. Under § 562B.17A, any sale of a home in the community by the landlord or the landlord's agent must be by written agreement, with the current certificate of title produced and assigned on the buyer's fulfilment of the terms. The agreement must state total cost and, for an instalment contract, finance charges, annual percentage rate and payment schedule. Noncompliance allows the court to award relief including voiding the sale, plus damages, any rental deposit paid in excess of two months' rent, and attorney fees.

Common Chapter 562B Compliance Mistakes

1. Using URLTA notice periods. Rent increases and cancellations require 90 days under 562B, not 30.

2. Timing an increase mid-term. Under § 562B.14(7) the effective date cannot precede expiry of the current agreement.

3. Forgetting the offer of a written agreement. Section 562B.14(1) requires it, and § 562B.14(4) ties the landlord definition to subsections 1 and 2.

4. Missing the 10-day exchange. Under § 562B.14(5) failure is deemed material noncompliance.

5. Entering a tenant-owned home. Section 562B.20(1) permits it only to prevent damage to the space or in an emergency.

6. Charging an entrance or exit fee. Prohibited under § 562B.19(3)(b) absent services actually rendered or a written agreement.

7. Taking a commission on a resident's sale. Prohibited under § 562B.19(3)(d) unless acting as agent under a written agreement.

8. Cancelling to free a space for a different home. Expressly prohibited by § 562B.10(5).

9. Not collecting the registration form. Section 562B.27(3) requires it at the start of every tenancy.

10. Missing the 30-day deposit statement. Section 562B.13(5) forfeits all rights to withhold.

11. Accepting varied performance and then terminating. Section 562B.28 treats acceptance as a waiver.

12. Omitting the subsection 3 language from a clear and present danger notice. Section 562B.25A requires the notice to set it out.

Where the Record Sits

Chapter 562B turns on documents created at the start of a tenancy rather than at the end of one.

• The registration form is the one to systematise. Section 562B.27(3) requires make, year, serial number, lien status, lienholder and legal owner, kept on file for the life of the tenancy, with tenant updates within 10 days of any lien change.

• The disclosure has to be current, not merely made. Section 562B.14(3) requires it kept current and refurnished on request, and enforceable against successors.

• The 90-day calendar is separate from your URLTA calendar. Rent increases, utility rate increases and cancellations all run on it.

Chapter 562B generates several records a manager needs to keep organised and dated: rental agreements and the § 562B.14 disclosure, rent and deposit records, community rules, maintenance documentation, notices, and the registration information required for each home. A property management system can help centralise those records and the dates attached to them.

RIOO is a property management platform built directly on NetSuite, with workflows for Contracts & Renewals, Collecting Rent & Payments, Service Request & Task Management and Move Ins & Move Outs.

Our guide to the Iowa Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act covers Chapter 562A, which expressly excludes the tenancies described here.

Conclusion

Chapter 562B is close enough to the URLTA to be dangerous. The deposit cap is the same, the late fee tiers are the same, the three-day nonpayment notice is the same, and the retaliation presumption runs for the same year.

What differs is where it matters most operationally. Ninety days for a rent increase and ninety days to cancel, with an increase unable to take effect before the current term expires. A default one-year term. No right of access into a tenant-owned home. A tenant's right to sell at their own price, with approval not unreasonably withheld and no commission absent a written agency agreement. No entrance or exit fees. A mandatory registration form. And a prohibition on cancelling simply to put a different home on the space. Managers should also account for § 562B.25B, which protects residents' rights to summon emergency assistance and prohibits specified penalties for exercising them.

For managers in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City and Waterloo, the sequence is: run a separate notice calendar for 562B properties; make the § 562B.14 disclosure in writing at or before the agreement and keep it current; offer the written agreement and complete the 10-day exchange; collect the § 562B.27(3) registration form at move-in and update it on lien changes; audit the rules against the six § 562B.19(3) prohibitions; and give the tenant written notice if your management of the community ends.

Last reviewed: August 2026. This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Several Chapter 562B provisions were amended in 2022, including those concerning the definition of rent, rental terms, rent increase notice and utilities, with applicability tied to rent increases first noticed on or after 17 May 2022 and to community sales made on or after 1 July 2022, and individual circumstances differ. Confirm the current text with the Iowa Legislature and consult a licensed Iowa attorney on a specific notice, deposit or abandonment question.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Does the Iowa URLTA apply to manufactured home communities?
No. Chapter 562A excludes them, and Chapter 562B governs instead as a separate act with its own definitions, remedies and notice periods.

Q2. How much notice is required for a rent increase in an Iowa manufactured home community?
At least 90 days in writing under § 562B.14(7), and the effective date cannot be sooner than the expiration of the current rental agreement or any renewal.

Q3. How much notice is required to cancel a 562B rental agreement?
At least 90 days' written notice by either party under § 562B.10(5). A landlord may not cancel solely to make the space available for another mobile home.

Q4. Can a landlord enter a tenant's mobile home in Iowa?
Under § 562B.20(1), only where access is necessary to prevent damage to the mobile home space or in response to an emergency. The landlord may enter onto the space itself for the purposes listed in § 562B.20(2).

Q5. Can a community charge entrance or exit fees?
No, under § 562B.19(3)(b), unless the fee is for services actually rendered or is under a written agreement.

Q6. Can a resident sell their mobile home in place?
Yes. Under § 562B.19(3)(c) a resident may sell at a price of their own choosing. The landlord may reserve approval of the purchaser as a tenant, but may not unreasonably withhold it, and must give written notice of any denial with the general reason.

Q7. Can a landlord penalise a tenant for calling emergency services?
No. Section 562B.25B prohibits a landlord from restricting a resident's or tenant's right to summon law enforcement or other emergency assistance in the circumstances covered by the statute, and from imposing penalties including fines or eviction for exercising that right. Waiver is void, and remedies include a civil penalty equal to one month's rent, actual damages, attorney fees, costs and injunctive relief.

Q8. When is a mobile home considered abandoned in Iowa?
Under § 562B.27(1), when the tenant has been absent without reasonable explanation for 30 days or more during which there is either a default of rent three days after it is due, or the agreement has been terminated under § 562B.25.

Q9. Is a tenant registration form required?
Yes. Section 562B.27(3) requires a standardised form at the start of each tenancy showing the home's make, year and serial number, lien status and lienholder, and the legal owner, with tenant updates within 10 days of any lien change.