Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Iowa

My previous landlord filed a small claims court case against my cousin and I claiming that there is unpaid rent due. I only found out because I searched my name on the Iowa Courts website. I called the landlord to find out more details about how much was owed, but all he said was that is was "more than the security deposit" and that he was "still working on it". Two questions. First, shouldn't I have been notified that there was unpaid rent before he filed a claim? Also, shouldn't he be able to tell me exactly how much is owed so that I could take care of the issue before the claim hurts my credit?


Asked on 8/22/12, 2:13 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Luedeman solo practitioner

Your next move is to go to the courthouse and see how much he's suing you for. You should have been served an original notice and petition, so while you're there you can see who was responsible for service and whether there was an affidavit filed. If that doesn't show proper service you can get the case dismissed but he'll refile.

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Answered on 8/30/12, 6:02 am


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