Arizona eviction rules for tenants

If you get an eviction notice

1. Read it closely: the kind of notice, the amount, the dates and how it was delivered. Use the timeline below.
2. Don't move out or stop paying because of a notice alone. Only a court can order an eviction; the notice is the first step.
3. Get free legal help now. Legal aid and the court's self-help center can check whether the notice is valid.
4. If you are served with court papers, respond by the deadline and go to every hearing. Missing one can mean losing by default.
5. Keep copies of the notice, your lease, rent receipts, texts and photos.

Eviction in Arizona

Notice for unpaid rent

5-day written notice to pay. The 5 days are calendar days (weekends count; A.R.S. § 33-1368(G)). If you pay all past-due rent plus a reasonable late fee from a written lease before the landlord files, the lease is reinstated. After filing, you must also pay attorney fees and court costs. After judgment, reinstatement is up to the landlord. A.R.S. § 33-1368(B).

Notice for a lease violation

10-day notice to cure for a material lease violation; 5-day notice to cure for a health-and-safety violation (calendar days). If the same or a similar violation happens again during the lease, the landlord can file 10 days after a written notice, with no chance to cure. For a 'material and irreparable' breach (for example violence, drug activity, weapons, serious property damage), immediate termination and a trial within 3 days. Some false statements on the rental application (criminal or eviction record) cannot be cured. A.R.S. §§ 33-1368(A), 33-1377(E).

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

Landlord or tenant: at least 30 days' written notice before the rent due date. Week-to-week: 10 days. A.R.S. § 33-1375.

Time to respond to an eviction lawsuit

The summons sets a trial/return date 3 to 6 days after it is issued, and you must be served at least 2 days before. You answer at that court date. The court can postpone up to 3 days (justice court) for good cause. A.R.S. § 33-1377.

Lockouts and utility shutoffs

Yes. If the landlord unlawfully locks you out or willfully cuts off electricity, gas, water or another essential service, you can get back in or end the lease and recover up to two months' rent or twice your actual damages, whichever is greater. A.R.S. §§ 33-1364(C), 33-1367.

Court self-help

The court's eviction self-help page

Law

A.R.S. §§ 33-1367, 33-1368, 33-1375, 33-1377

Eviction notice timeline for Arizona

Got a notice from your landlord? Enter the kind of notice and the day you got it to see the dates that follow from your state's rule, what your landlord may not do, and where to get free help fast.

Where to get free help in Arizona

• Arizona Judicial Branch: Eviction help
• Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (official text, A.R.S. Title 33, ch. 10)
• AZCourtHelp.org (Arizona courts self-help)

Retaliation in Arizona

The landlord may not raise rent, cut services, or file or threaten eviction because you complained to a code agency, complained to the landlord about repairs, or joined a tenants' union. A complaint within 6 months before the landlord's action creates a presumption of retaliation (not if you complained after getting a termination notice). Remedies: a defense to eviction plus up to two months' rent or twice actual damages. The landlord can still evict for unpaid rent. A.R.S. § 33-1381.

Rent increases and rent control in Arizona

Notice of a rent increase

No statute sets a rent-increase notice period. For month-to-month tenancies, the 30-day notice in § 33-1375 effectively applies to changes; rent cannot be raised during a fixed-term lease unless the lease allows it.

Rent control

No statewide rent cap. Cities and towns may not control rents (A.R.S. § 33-1329).

Questions about eviction in Arizona

More for Arizona renters

• All Arizona tenant rights
• Security deposit: Arizona
• Repairs: Arizona
• Eviction notice periods by state
• Guide: what to do if you get an eviction notice

Eviction in nearby states