Monroe County, Iowa Eviction Risk: Low

Monroe County, Iowa scores 2.5/10 (Low risk) on the eviction-risk scale, averaging across 6 incorporated places and a total county population of roughly 4,993. That Low rating reflects a rental market where eviction pressure is comparatively modest, average rent sits at $871 per month, and just over a quarter of households are renters. With a rank of 61 of 99 Iowa counties, Monroe County sits squarely in the middle third of the state: 60 counties carry more risk for landlords and 38 are less risky, making this a market that rewards careful screening but does not carry the outsized operational hazards found in Iowa's larger urban corridors.

The intra-county spread runs from 1.8 to 2.6, a range that matters at the individual property level. Investors evaluating Monroe County should not treat the county average as a flat read on every submarket; the city you choose within the county shapes your operating environment as much as the county-level number.

The cities inside Monroe County

Albia, the county seat and by far the largest city at 3,663 residents, carries the highest risk score in the county at 2.6/10. That is still a Low rating in absolute terms, but landlords operating in Albia should build tighter tenant-screening practices than those working smaller communities, because it concentrates most of the county's rental activity and therefore most of the county's eviction exposure.

Moravia (624 residents, 2.5/10) and Lovilia (414 residents, 2.3/10) land close to the county average. At the other end of the scale, Hamilton scores 1.8/10, the lowest in the county, reflecting its small size of 107 residents and limited rental-market activity. Melrose and Marysville each score 2.1/10. The overall picture is one of a low-density, low-volatility rental landscape, but the roughly 0.8-point gap between Albia and Hamilton is a real difference that investors focused on yield should factor into acquisition decisions.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Monroe County operates under Iowa Code § 562A (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law). For non-payment of rent, Iowa law requires only a 3-day notice before filing, one of the shorter cure windows in the Midwest. A lease-violation cure notice requires 7 days, and a no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. Understanding the Iowa eviction process from notice through writ is essential before placing a first tenant here, because timelines vary significantly depending on whether a case is contested: uncontested matters resolve in roughly 21 to 40 days, while contested proceedings can run 45 to 100 days.

On costs, Iowa eviction costs for a straightforward case include a court filing fee of $95 to $200, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $150, and attorney fees that typically range from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity. Iowa does not impose rent control or require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts local governments from enacting their own rent caps, which is a meaningful pro-landlord feature. Iowa security deposit limits and specific retaliation protections under Iowa Code § 562A.36 round out the regulatory picture. The Iowa Civil Rights Commission handles fair housing complaints; source-of-income is not a protected class under state law.

With an average poverty rate of 11.4% and a renter share of 25.2% across the county, Monroe County's rental pool is relatively small and concentrated, which reinforces why city-level scores matter: the six communities above each tell a different story for landlords running the numbers on a specific acquisition.