Renting can often be the only option available in a housing market that has become unattainable to purchase a home. Sometimes when renting, problems can come up. It’s important to know what you can do in these cases.
The Arizona Republic pulled information from the Arizona Tenants’ Rights & Responsibilities Handbook to give you an understanding of your rights.
The handbook says that if your landlord does not fix a problem with the rental unit — even after you’ve told them about it — you can take them to court. You can ask the court to tell your landlord to pay for any harm caused, stop doing things that violate your rights or fix the issues.
The handbook also talks about claims that you can make under the Arizona Landlord Tenant Act.
These include cases where your landlord locks you out unlawfully, enters your home without permission, increases your rent after you complain about issues or fails to give you your refundable security deposit. In these situations, you have several options. They include ending the rental agreement, taking back your home or suing for monetary damages.
Now, if you decide to take your landlord to court, where you file the complaint depends on how much money is involved.
- For claims more than $10,000, you should go to the Superior Court.
- For claims of $10,000 or less, you go to your local Justice Court.
- For claims less than $3,500, you can go to the Small Claims Division of the local Justice Court.
When you write the complaint, you can ask for two things: an injunction, which is a court order telling your landlord to do or not do something, and/or damages, which is money to cover costs like having to stay in a hotel while your home is not livable.
Lastly, the handbook mentions that if you earn little money, you might not have to pay the court fees. You can ask the court to delay or even cancel these fees.
In today’s changing rental market, Arizona renters need to know what they can and can’t do. If you’re a renter facing problems, the Arizona Tenants’ Rights & Responsibilities Handbook might be a good place to start.
What rights do Arizona renters have?Here’s what to know before signing a lease
See the full Housing Inventory article, or, read more Arizona real estate investing news. Up to you! Either way, you’re on your game!
