How to become a landlord in Arizona

Keep on file with the county assessor the owner's name, address and phone, the property's street address and parcel number and the year built, and, if an entity owns it, the name, address and phone of a corporate officer, managing or administrative member, general partner, trustee or REIT partner or officer, and update it within 10 days of a change. An owner living outside Arizona must designate an in-state statutory agent. A rental may not be occupied until the information is on file (A.R.S. § 33-1902(A); A.R.S. § 33-1902(B); A.R.S. § 33-1902(C)).

• If you have not filed, the tenant may give a 10-day notice to comply and then end the lease, with prepaid rent returned within 10 days (A.R.S. § 33-1902(C)).
• For a newly acquired rental that is not registered, the city or town must assess a $1,000 civil penalty plus $100 for each month until you comply; for any other unregistered rental it may impose $150 a day. The court dismisses the complaint if you comply within 10 days after receiving the complaint or the assessor's notice (A.R.S. § 33-1902(E); A.R.S. § 33-1902(F); A.R.S. § 33-1902(G)).

At or before the tenancy starts, disclose in writing the name and address of the manager and of the owner or the owner's agent for service and notices, and tell the tenant in writing that the Act is on the Arizona Department of Housing's website. State the purpose of every nonrefundable fee in writing and give the move-in form and move-out inspection notice (A.R.S. § 33-1322(A); A.R.S. § 33-1322(B); A.R.S. § 33-1321(B); A.R.S. § 33-1321(C)).

• Except for a single family residence, give existing and new tenants bedbug educational materials, and do not lease a unit you know has a current bedbug infestation (A.R.S. § 33-1319(A); A.R.S. § 33-1319(D)).See Bedbugs on the Arizona page
• If you rent a home with a swimming pool or other contained body of water, give the tenant the pool safety notice approved by the Department of Health Services (A.R.S. § 36-1681(E)).
• If a foreclosure action began before the lease was signed, include the written foreclosure notice in substantially the statutory form; if you receive a first notice of trustee's sale or foreclosure later, give it within five business days. This does not apply to buildings of four or more connected units (A.R.S. § 33-1331).
• Where a smoke detector was installed in a new or remodeled unit under the state rule, give the tenant written notice of the tenant's duty to maintain it (A.R.S. § 36-1637(C)).See Smoke detectors on the Arizona page
• If you bill utilities separately, the lease must list the separately charged utilities and any administrative fee, and describe any ratio billing method (A.R.S. § 33-1314.01(B); A.R.S. § 33-1314.01(G)).See Separately billed utilities on the Arizona page

At or before the tenancy starts, disclose in writing the name and address of the person authorized to manage the premises and of an owner or a person authorized to accept service of process and notices for the owner. Keep it current and give it again when the tenant asks (A.R.S. § 33-1322(A); A.R.S. § 33-1322(C)).

• A person who fails to disclose becomes the landlord's agent for service and notices and for performing the landlord's duties, and a manager who fails to disclose is treated as a landlord (A.R.S. § 33-1322(D); A.R.S. § 33-1310(7)).
• With a written lease, deliver a signed copy to the tenant and complete every blank; failing to is a material noncompliance (A.R.S. § 33-1322(E)).

The Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act has no flood disclosure requirement (A.R.S. title 33, chapter 10).

An approved smoke detector must be installed in every new residential unit and in an existing unit when a sleeping area is remodeled under a permit. The tenant keeps such a detector working unless the tenant gives you written notice that it malfunctions, and then you must repair it (A.R.S. § 36-1637(A); A.R.S. § 36-1637(B)).

• Give the tenant written notice of the tenant's smoke detector responsibilities (A.R.S. § 36-1637(C)).

The Act sets no general rule on locks or rekeying between tenants. Its one lock rule: a tenant who is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault may require you to install a new lock at the tenant's cost, by rekeying a working lock or replacing it with one of equal or better quality (A.R.S. § 33-1318(E); A.R.S. title 33, chapter 10).

• You may keep a key to the new lock and may refuse a key to the person named in the protective order or report (A.R.S. § 33-1318(F)).
• If a tenant named in an order of protection has been served with it and you have received a copy, you must refuse that tenant access to the home to reclaim property unless a law enforcement officer escorts the tenant in and out (A.R.S. § 33-1318(G)).

You may not demand or receive security, however it is labeled and including prepaid rent, of more than one and one-half months' rent. A tenant may still choose to pay more than one and one-half months' rent in advance (A.R.S. § 33-1321(A)).

• Security means money or property given to assure payment or performance under the lease. A reasonable charge for redecorating or cleaning is not security (A.R.S. § 33-1310(15)).
• State the purpose of every nonrefundable fee or deposit in writing. Any fee or deposit not designated as nonrefundable is refundable (A.R.S. § 33-1321(B)).
• A lease term the Act lists as prohibited, such as a waiver of the tenant's rights under the Act, is unenforceable, and deliberately using a lease with a term you know is prohibited lets the tenant recover actual damages and up to two months' rent (A.R.S. § 33-1315(A); A.R.S. § 33-1315(B)).See Lease terms Arizona prohibits on the Arizona page

The Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not require interest on deposits or a separate deposit account. During the tenancy you may use refundable deposits as any property management agreement provides, and all refundable deposits must be refunded under the deposit return rules when the tenancy ends. The separate trust account rules for licensed real estate brokers were not read for this page (A.R.S. § 33-1321(G)).

• The Act, read in full, has no deposit interest requirement (A.R.S. title 33, chapter 10).

At move-in, give the tenant a signed copy of the lease, a move-in form on which the tenant can list existing damage, and written notice that the tenant may be present at the move-out inspection. If the tenant asks, tell the tenant when the move-out inspection will happen (A.R.S. § 33-1321(C)).

• You need not hold a joint move-out inspection when the tenant is being evicted for a material and irreparable breach and you have reasonable cause to fear violence or intimidation (A.R.S. § 33-1321(C)).

The Act sets no limit on application or screening fees. A fee you mean to keep must be designated nonrefundable with its purpose stated in writing, or it is refundable (A.R.S. § 33-1321(B); A.R.S. title 33, chapter 10).

• Materially false information on the application (such as the number of occupants, pets, income, social security number or employment) is a material noncompliance you can act on with a 10-day notice. False information about criminal records, prior evictions or current criminal activity cannot be cured (A.R.S. § 33-1368(A)).See Notice for lease violations on the Arizona page
• The property-management record rule applies to property management firms. It covers residential leases and related documents, which may include applications identifying the tenant, for one year after the lease expires or until those records are given to the owner when the management agreement ends. Financial records have a separate minimum three-year period from execution. This section does not set a general one-year period running from every rejected application; confirm the rules that apply to your role and record type (A.R.S. 32-2175(A), (C)).