Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
22.6%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Melrose, IA, tenants prevail in roughly 22.6% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
45d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Melrose, IA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 45 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.6–3.8k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Melrose, IA costs landlords $1,601 to $3,810 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$849
34% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Melrose, IA is $849 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 34% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
4.1%
of households
4.1% of occupied housing units in Melrose, IA are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
27.3%
40.0% unemp.
27.3% of Melrose, IA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 40.0%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +50.7% (2024)
3.4
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.4
State political climate
Iowa legislature & governorship
2.3
Economic stress
27.3% poverty · 40.0% unemp.
9.4
Supply constraint
$849 average · 4.1% renters
1.9
Rent Control risk
33.7% of income on rent
1.3
Eviction process difficulty
45 days filing → judgment
1.7
Tenant organizing strength
4.1% renters
1.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
2.4
Geographic context
Risk heat across Melrose and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Melrose compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Monroe County
Very High
#1of 6 cities
#1 of 6 cities in Monroe County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Iowa
Very High
#31of 1,026 cities
#31 of 1,026 cities in Iowa for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.1
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.1/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.9 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
45d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $849/mo. A contested eviction takes 45 days and costs $1,601–$3,810 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
4.1%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 115 residents, 4.1% rent. 34% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 27.3% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
3.4
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 3.4 and 3.4 (GOP margin +50.7% (2024)). State climate at 2.3, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2.3
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2.3/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 1.7, housing court bias 2.4, rent-control risk 1.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.3 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
9.4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 9.4. Supply constraint: 1.9. The numbers behind those: 27.3% poverty, 40.0% unemployment, 34% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Melrose sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Melrose · 45d · ~$2.7k all-in ($60/day) · score 3.1National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Melrose, Iowa, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.1/10 (LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Melrose is a city of 115 residents where 4.1% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 33.7% of income on rent. At an average rent of $849/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Melrose eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.7/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Melrose closes 45 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Melrose's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 2.4/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Melrose runs $1,601 to $3,810 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 45 days of typical timeline and $849/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 1.9/10 in Melrose, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1.3/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Iowa, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Melrose: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Iowa's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $3,810 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Melrose
Trap · 3.3/10
The 3.3/10 score combines local political climate, court bias, cost-of-eviction, tenant organizing strength, and the likelihood of new tenant-protective legislation. See the breakdown above for Melrose-specific sub-scores.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Melrose without a reason?
Iowa does not have statewide just-cause eviction requirements. For a month-to-month lease, you can terminate the tenancy without a specific "reason" by providing a 30-day written notice to quit. For a fixed-term lease, you generally need a lease violation or the lease term to expire.
Q2
What if my tenant refuses to leave after the eviction judgment?
If the court grants you an eviction judgment and the tenant still won't leave, you must obtain a writ of possession from the court. You then deliver this writ to the county sheriff, who will schedule and execute the physical lockout. Do not attempt to remove the tenant or their belongings yourself.
Q3
How much can I charge for late fees in Melrose?
Iowa law requires late fees to be "reasonable." While there's no specific cap in Iowa Code § 562A, excessive late fees could be challenged in court. Many landlords charge a flat fee (e.g., $50) or a small percentage of the monthly rent (e.g., 5%), often with a daily charge for continued delinquency. State law doesn't specify when late fees can be charged, so it should be clear in your lease.
Q4
Does Iowa have rent control?
No, Iowa has no statewide rent control laws. Local municipalities, including Melrose, are also prohibited from enacting their own rent control ordinances. You are generally free to set market rent. For more info, check our Iowa rent control rules.
Q5
Can I keep the security deposit for normal wear and tear?
No. You can only deduct from a security deposit for actual damages beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid rent, or costs due to the tenant's breach of the lease. "Normal wear and tear" refers to the deterioration that occurs with the regular use of the property. You must provide an itemized list of deductions within 30 days.
Q6
What are my responsibilities for repairs in Melrose?
Under Iowa Code § 562A, you are generally responsible for maintaining the premises in a fit and habitable condition, including keeping all common areas clean and safe, making all repairs necessary to keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition, and maintaining all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and other facilities and appliances in good working order. Tenants have responsibilities too, like keeping their unit clean and safe. See our Iowa tenant protections for more details.
A 3.1/10 places Melrose in the 99th percentile of Iowa cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Melrose (3.1/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
