Phoenix / Jurisdiction guide

Which rules protect you in Phoenix? Arizona and city law explained

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

Most of a Phoenix renter's rights come from one state law, the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The City of Phoenix adds a few important local rules, most notably on cooling. This guide explains how the layers fit together, what they mean in practice and where to get help, with a source for every rule.

Step one: is the home in the city of Phoenix?

The Phoenix metro area includes many separate cities, such as Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale, Glendale and Chandler. State law applies to all of them, but city rules apply only inside the city that adopted them. Phoenix's cooling requirement, for example, is part of the Phoenix City Code.^[1] Check the exact address before you rely on any local rule, because a mailing address alone is not a reliable guide to which city a home is in.

Layer one: state law and the ban on rent control

Arizona law states that cities and towns, including charter cities, do not have the power to control rents, except for housing owned, financed, insured or subsidized by government.^[2] There is no rent control in Phoenix and no statewide cap on increases. For a month to month tenancy, either side may end the tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the rental date named in the notice.^[3] A fixed term lease fixes the rent until it ends.

Your core rights under Arizona law

Deposits: No more than one and a half months' rent, with every nonrefundable fee identified in writing. The landlord must provide an itemized list and any refund within 14 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after the tenancy ends, possession is returned and you ask for it, or it can owe twice the amount wrongfully withheld.^[4]
Disclosures: The landlord must disclose the names and addresses of the manager and the owner or owner's agent, and tell you in writing where to find the Act on the Arizona Department of Housing's website.^[5]
Fit premises: The landlord must comply with building codes affecting health and safety, keep the home fit and habitable, and keep electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning facilities in good and safe working order.^[6]
Entry: At least two days' notice, except in an emergency, and a repair request counts as permission to enter for that repair.^[7]
Retaliation: A landlord may not raise rent, reduce services or bring or threaten an eviction because you complained to a government agency about code violations, complained to the landlord or joined a tenants' union. A complaint within the six months before the landlord's action creates a presumption of retaliation.^[8]

Layer two: the City of Phoenix

Phoenix adds several protections of its own.

Cooling: In every rental unit with installed cooling, refrigerated air must cool all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms to 82 degrees, and evaporative coolers to 86 degrees, measured three feet above the floor in the center of the room.^[1] The city tells tenants to give the landlord a five day health and safety repair notice and lists 602 262 7210 for reporting violations.^[9]
Source of income: In March 2023, the city council banned discrimination against renters based on lawful, verifiable income such as housing vouchers, unemployment, veterans' and disability benefits.^[10]
Counseling and help: The city's Human Services Department runs a landlord and tenant program with free one on one counseling and emergency help for tenants.^[11]

When the landlord does not make repairs

Arizona gives tenants several remedies, each with its own conditions.

Ending the lease: For a breach that materially affects health and safety, you may give written notice that the lease will end in not less than five days if the breach is not fixed within five days. For other material noncompliance, the period is 10 days. If the landlord fixes the problem in time, the lease continues.^[12]
Minor repairs: If a repair costs less than $300 or half a month's rent, whichever is greater, and the landlord has not made it within 10 days of written notice, you may have it done by a licensed contractor and deduct the cost, after giving the landlord an itemized statement and a lien waiver.^[13]
Essential services: If the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply running water, gas or electricity, or reasonable hot water, heat or cooling where units are installed and offered, you may, after reasonable notice, buy the service and deduct the reasonable cost, recover damages for the reduced rental value, or obtain substitute housing and pay no rent in the meantime.^[14]

These remedies have strict requirements. Give notice in writing, keep proof of delivery, and consider getting advice before you use a remedy that involves withholding or deducting rent.

Why the cooling rules matter

Phoenix's cooling rules are not a comfort standard; they are a safety standard. Maricopa County recorded 430 heat related deaths in 2025. About a quarter of those deaths happened indoors, and where an indoor cooling unit was present, it was not working in 72 percent of cases.^[15] A broken air conditioner in July is an emergency, not a routine repair.

If your cooling fails, report it to the landlord immediately in writing, and use the five day health and safety notice the city recommends.^[9] If the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to restore cooling where it is installed and offered, the essential services remedies described above may apply.^[14] In the meantime, go somewhere cool. The city's landlord and tenant program can help with cooling centers and repair coordination.^[11]

Living in another Valley city

If the home is in Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale, Glendale, Chandler or another city, the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act still applies in full, including its requirement that a landlord supply reasonable cooling where units are installed and offered.^[6] What changes is the local layer. Phoenix's specific temperature limits^[1] and its source of income protection^[10] are Phoenix rules, so check the city code where you live, and find out which city office handles housing complaints there. Eviction cases in all of these cities are handled by the Maricopa County Justice Courts.^[16]

Notices a landlord may give

If rent is unpaid, the landlord may end the lease if the rent is not paid within five days after written notice. For material noncompliance with the lease, the notice period is 10 days, and for noncompliance that materially affects health and safety, it is five days. For a material and irreparable breach, such as serious criminal activity, the landlord may terminate immediately.^[17] Late fees must be reasonable and set out in a written rental agreement.^[17]

Eviction hearings move fast

An eviction in Arizona must go through the courts. Once a landlord files, the hearing is set not more than six nor less than three days from the date of the summons.^[18] In Maricopa County, eviction cases are heard in the justice courts. Filing an answer is free, and after a judgment for the landlord, the tenant has five days to move before a writ of restitution can issue.^[16] The county courts list Community Legal Services and the state court help site as sources of free help.^[16]

Because the timeline is so short, read every notice the day it arrives and seek help immediately. If rent is the issue, paying in full may reinstate the lease before judgment, but after judgment that is up to the landlord.^[17]

A recent change: the rental tax

Arizona once applied a transaction privilege tax to residential rent, which often appeared as a separate line on the rent bill. The Arizona Department of Revenue announced that the tax on residential rentals was eliminated as of January 1, 2025.^[19] If your lease or ledger still shows a rental tax charge on a residential lease, ask the landlord in writing to explain it, and keep the reply. Checking each line of the ledger once a year is a simple habit that can catch charges that no longer apply.

Common misunderstandings

"Phoenix limits rent increases." It does not, and state law forbids it.^[2]
"Air conditioning is optional for landlords." Where it is installed and offered, it must be maintained and must meet the city's temperature limits in Phoenix.^[6][1]
"Any fee I pay is gone for good." Only fees designated nonrefundable in writing are nonrefundable.^[4]
"An eviction takes weeks." The hearing can be as soon as three days after the summons.^[18]

Working out your own situation

Confirm that the home is inside the city of Phoenix, since the cooling rule and source of income protection are city rules.
Check that you received the signed lease, the move in form, the move out inspection notice and the names and addresses of the manager and owner.
Read the lease for the rent, the term, late fees and who maintains the cooling system.
Put the key dates in your calendar, including the renewal date and any notice deadline.
Keep every notice you receive with the date and method of delivery, because Arizona's deadlines are short.

Where to get help

The City of Phoenix landlord and tenant program offers free counseling at 602 262 7210.^[11] For eviction cases, the Maricopa County Justice Courts point to Community Legal Services and the state court help site for free assistance.^[16] If you receive an eviction summons, seek help the same day.

Your completion record

Address inside the city confirmed
Lease, move in form and disclosures
Nonrefundable fees identified
Cooling system and repair terms
Renewal and notice dates
Contact for help

Keep this record with your lease. See the budget guide to plan for renewals without a rent cap, and the Phoenix data page for local figures.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Phoenix guides