Ames, IA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Sec. 13.400 opens Division IV of the Rental Housing Code, Minimum Property Maintenance Standards, and its scope clause makes the whole division govern the minimum conditions and responsibilities for maintenance of structures, equipment and exterior property. The responsibility clause that follows puts the duty squarely on the property owner: the owner must maintain the structure and exterior property to the Code's requirements, and it is unlawful for an owner-occupant to live in, or a landlord to knowingly let anyone live in, premises that are not sanitary or safe or that otherwise fail the chapter.

Occupants of a dwelling unit, rooming unit, or housekeeping unit carry a parallel but narrower duty: keeping clean, sanitary, and safe the part of the premises they personally occupy and control. The following sections of Division IV translate that general habitability duty into specific, inspectable standards: Sec. 13.406 covers exterior sanitation, grading, and tall grass; Sec. 13.407 covers exterior structure items such as paint, foundations, roofs, and door locks; Sec. 13.408 covers interior surfaces and door hardware; Sec. 13.409 covers handrails and guardrails; Sec. 13.410 covers refuse and outdoor storage; and Sec.

13.411 covers insect and rodent extermination. The Inspection Division checks compliance with these standards at the periodic inspections required for every Letter of Compliance under Sec. 13.302, and a structure that fails any of them cannot receive or keep a valid Letter.