The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com are investigating whether landlords are following state law and giving a tax break to Arizona renters — and we need your help.Starting Jan. 1, cities and landlords were no longer able to charge a sales tax on residential rental units, homes like apartments and others that are occupied on a monthly basis. The tax was usually a couple of percent and set by the city you live in. It might be called a sales tax or transaction privilege tax on your monthly bill.For example, tenants in Phoenix were charged a rental tax of 2.3%, or $23 per $1,000 in rent. Scottsdale renters paid 1.75%, or $17.50 per $1,000 of rent. Find more about rates in your city here.A 2023 Arizona law repealed that tax starting this month, requiring landlords to stop collecting the tax and to pass those savings on to renters.Some cities, like Flagstaff and Tucson, didn’t charge the tax in the first place so renters there are not affected.We are interested in seeing whether Arizona property managers and landlords have stopped charging the tax, with a particular interest in landlords who are not complying.We’d like to hear from renters across the state as part of our reporting, and we’d like to see what your landlords are telling you.To respect your privacy, we will not publish or share with property managers any personally identifying information — like your name or address — without getting your permission first.If you can help, please email reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com with the following information and the subject line “rental tax.” She can be reached via text or call at 480-416-5669.What did your landlord communicate to you about the rental tax repeal? Can you share those communications with us?Who or what company is your landlord? And what is the name of your complex or community?Do you believe your landlord did or did not pass along the rental tax rollback? Why?Did your landlord add any new fees or costs, and if so, what were they? Was that when you renewed a lease or during the current lease term?Can you share rent bills or screenshots of your online payment portal for December 2024 and January 2025? The more detailed the better. We’d like to do the math to see how the tax repeal is being passed along and to ensure your bills are changing.Have you been impacted by receiving or not receiving the tax break? We know many families live paycheck to paycheck and this money could make a difference, especially over a year. If that’s you, please tell us how you are impacted.Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.
See the full article on Arizona tax laws, or, read more Arizona real estate investing news. It’s your call!
