Can a Landlord Ignore or Refuse my Request to Sublet in Iowa?

In Iowa, your landlord cannot arbitrarily refuse your request to sublet, based on case law. Your lease may state that you have the right to sublet, but your landlord has the right to reasonably withhold permission to do so.

Reasonable Refusal

In Van Sloun v. Agans Bros., Inc., the leaseholder was not allowed to sublet by his landlord. The lease stated that the leaseholder must have permission from the landlord to sublet, but that refusal to do so could not be unreasonably withheld. That case stated the following:

Arbitrary consideration[s] of personal taste, convenience, or sensibility are not proper criteria for withholding consent under such a lease provision.

This means that if your lease says that your landlord can only withhold consent with good reason, they can't just say no because they feel like it. They must reject your subtenant for good reason. This could be because they have a criminal background or poor credit history.

Unreasonable Refusal

Iowa does have a Fair Housing Act. The law states that anyone seeking housing cannot be discriminated against for race, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. If you landlord rejects a subtenant based on any of these criteria, it's likely that a court would deem it unreasonable refusal and in violation of the Act.