Van Buren County, Iowa Eviction Risk: Low

Van Buren County carries an average eviction-risk score of 2.7/10 (Low) across its 10 tracked cities, placing it 48th of 99 Iowa counties by risk, meaning 47 counties are riskier and 51 are less risky. For landlords, that middle-of-the-road positioning reflects a rural, low-rent market where average rent runs $571 per month and the average rent-burden sits at 26.4% of renter income. These are workable fundamentals, though the thin rental pool and modest population of 3,601 residents county-wide mean vacancy exposure is a more pressing concern than tenant-dispute frequency for most operators here.

With scores ranging from a low of 2.2 to a high of 3/10, the county's internal spread is narrow, but not irrelevant. Iowa law still governs every unit here, and local conditions differ enough that city-level due diligence pays off before committing capital.

The cities inside Van Buren County

Bonaparte carries the county's highest risk score at 3/10, with a population of 302. Milton, Birmingham, and Cantril each score 2.8/10, with populations of 493, 454, and 335 respectively. These communities sit at the upper end of the county range, driven by slightly higher concentrations of cost-burdened renters relative to their size. For landlords underwriting a small multifamily acquisition, understanding the specific tenant mix in any of these towns matters more than the county average.

At the lower-risk end, Keosauqua (population 914, score 2.6/10), Farmington (population 540, score 2.6/10), Douds (population 243, score 2.6/10), and Stockport (population 210, score 2.6/10) offer the most landlord-favorable conditions in the county. Keosauqua, as the county seat and its largest community, gives investors the broadest tenant pool to draw from. Risk is genuinely hyper-local in a county this small: a difference of two-tenths of a point can reflect meaningfully different vacancy and delinquency dynamics when the renter universe numbers in the dozens per town.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Van Buren County is governed by Iowa Code § 562A (the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law). Notice requirements are straightforward: non-payment of rent triggers a 3-day notice, a lease violation with right to cure requires 7 days, and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Iowa does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so there is no municipality in Iowa permitted to impose a rent cap. Understanding the full Iowa eviction process, from notice through writ of possession, is essential before a dispute escalates.

On the cost side, the Iowa eviction costs a landlord should budget for include a court filing fee of $95 to $200, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $150, and attorney fees that typically run $500 to $2,500 depending on whether the case is contested. An uncontested eviction in Iowa resolves in 21 to 40 days; a contested case can stretch 45 to 100 days. Iowa requires 24 hours notice before a landlord may enter a unit, per Iowa Code § 562A.15. Iowa security deposit limits and tenant protections rules round out the legal framework every landlord here must internalize before leasing.

With an average poverty rate of 13.2% and a renter share of just 22% of households, Van Buren County is a thin but relatively stable rental market; the city-by-city scores in the grid above pinpoint exactly where within the county that stability is strongest and where it fades.