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Tenant Screening Laws in Arizona

Arizona law doesn't directly address rental application fees or the tenant screening process.


State law in Arizona doesn’t say much about the rental application process. There are no legal limits to how much a landlord can charge for an application fee, for example. (There are federal laws that govern the process of screening tenants, however.)

Arizona law does require landlords to state the purpose of all nonrefundable fees or deposits in writing. This could be anything from an application fee to a one-time cleaning fee. And if a fee or deposit isn’t explicitly designated as nonrefundable, then it is considered refundable.1

In addition, prospective renters across Arizona are protected by state and federal fair housing laws, which make it illegal for landlords to treat people differently based on race, national origin, religion, gender, family status, or disability. If an applicant suspects they were rejected because of one of these characteristics, they could pursue a fair housing complaint.


[1] A.R.S. § 33-1321(B)

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice.