Bills/rules we are watching
Last Edit: April 20, 2018
Time of Transfer
Prohibitions on cities enacting requirements simply due to the property being transferred.
Governor Reynolds officially signed the bill related to real estate transactions. You can view the details of HF2286 here. A special thanks to everyone that attended Legislative Bus-In Day to speak to legislators regarding this bill. The bill will go into effect July 1, 2018. If a municipality wants to address potential issues with the housing stock, they may do so in a “scientifically” pre-planned method, and not sock it to sellers and buyers when transferring a property.
Foreclosure bill
A bill that would improve and significantly shorten the time frames and regulations regarding foreclosed properties, to get these properties back to “normal” properties. This bill is also assisting in combating economic waste and is good for all-around health of the community. Read the bill details here.
Service and Emotional Support Animals
We are closely monitoring the bill addressing assistance and service animals for all rental housing. The bill focuses on the definitions of service animals and emotional support animals. It requires Iowa medical professionals to make the determination of a qualifying “disability”, requiring a form created by the Iowa Civil rights commission completed for a person who claims to need a service or support animal and making penalties for those who “fake” a disability or an animals need.
Landlords may not deny housing to a person who legitimately needs a service or support animal; this bill adds strength to assure the process/qualifications are not abused by those seeking assistance. Read the details on the bill here.
First Time Home Buyer - Administrative Rules
The administrative rules for the First Time Home Buyer Savings Account have been proposed, and most match what the Iowa Statute indicates for how the program should operate. The IAR has submitted comments to the Legislative Service Bureau for suggestions to make the program more “workable” - look for a final proposed version of the administrative rules.