Anyone may have a hard time finding a rental unit he or she can afford. There is not enough low- and moderate-income housing to meet the need. Persons with disabilities may have even fewer housing choices. Some rental units could become suitable with a few changes.
The landlord's rules or policies might need to change before the tenant could live there. What are a tenant's rights in such cases? Can the rental unit be modified to meet the needs of a tenant with disabilities? Landlords must permit, but do not have to pay for modifications to the rental unit. The landlord must let the tenant make the changes "necessary to afford such person full enjoyment of the premises Tenants would need to come to an agreement with the landlord about what work will be done, and by whom.
A landlord cannot refuse to allow a change needed to allow the tenant full use of the rental unit. The landlord can make sure the tenant gets a building permit, and that the work will be done in a proper manner. The landlord may also be able to charge an extra deposit to pay for restoring the unit to its original condition, if that is necessary.
Not all new apartments built since have all these things. If they don't, it may be possible to file a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission or the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or sue the people who built the complex. How can common areas be made accessible? For newer multi-family buildings built for first occupancy after March 13, , the common areas should already be accessible. For older units, there is probably no way to force the landlord to make structural changes to the facilities at the landlord's expense under the FHA.
However, the tenant may make reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense to the "common use areas" and "public use areas. Although a tenant may not be able to afford to make a reasonable modification to a common use area, sometimes another way can be found to provide access.
