Attorney: Landlords in Iowa City take advantage of renters

Private practice attorney Christopher Warnock believes some landlords in Iowa City aren't playing by the rules put in place by the Iowa Code.

Warnock alleges that in recent years, thousands of Iowa City renters have unknowingly signed leases, which contain illegal clauses. Warnock is currently representing a handful of plaintiff's in a lawsuit against Apartments Downtown, a popular property management company in Iowa City.

“They're definitely the biggest student landlord,” said Warnock. “I've had students tell me it's difficult not to rent from them.”

Warnock believes that around 5,000 renters have signed illegal leases with Apartments Downtown. Warnock said the leases contain clauses that force a renter to pay for common area damage and force automatic cleaning upon move-out.

“If you trash the place, okay, you're going to have to pay for that, but if it's normal wear and tear, that's the landlords responsibility,” he said.

Because of the high volume of renters who have signed leases with Apartments Downtown, Warnock hopes a judge will consider classifying the current lawsuit as “class-action.”

“We don't want to punish Apartments Downtown, we don't want to put them out of business,” he said. “We're just looking for them to follow the law.”

Warnock said Apartments Downtown isn't acting alone. He alleges other property management companies have similar clauses in their leases. If successful in the current lawsuit, Warnock said he plans to go after others.

“I'm trying to defend these renters,” he said. “They're just out of the dorms and they just can't defend themselves.”

Joe Clark of Apartments Downtown said there is another side to the story, but said he'll wait for it to play out in court. In a phone message, James Affeldt, an attorney representing the company, said professional conduct limits him from discussing many details about the pending case.

Clark said his company will continue to offer a service to the community by providing student housing.