News & Blog

When a business extends credit and secures a personal guaranty from an individual borrower, enforcement can become complicated in Arizona, especially when the guarantor is married and community property is at stake.

Few things are more frustrating for an Arizona property owner than discovering strangers living in your home, and being told by police that it’s a “civil matter.” Until recently, your only option was a full eviction lawsuit that could drag on for weeks.

The rent stops coming. Calls go unanswered. The unit looks empty, or worse, it’s empty except for a pile of belongings. Every Arizona landlord eventually faces this situation, and it raises an urgent question: can you just change the locks and re-rent?

Search “Arizona late fee limit” and you’ll find websites confidently claiming that landlords can’t charge more than $5 per day. Tenants read those pages too, and some will dispute a perfectly legal fee, or demand a refund, based on a rule that doesn’t apply to them.

Deed fraud and property scams are a direct attack on your home, your hard-earned savings, and your peace of mind. To combat this growing threat, the Arizona Legislature passed Senate Bill 1479 (SB 1479), introducing aggressive safeguards to protect property owners and crack down on fraudulent real estate filings.

Hiring a contractor is one of the most significant financial decisions an Arizona landlord can make, and one of the most overlooked sources of legal liability. Whether you’re renovating a rental in Phoenix, repairing a roof on a Tucson duplex, or remodeling units in a Scottsdale apartment building, the contractor you choose can either protect your investment or expose you to lawsuits, lien claims, and tenant disputes for years.

Every week, a phone rings with the same story: “I never got my 14-day reconciliation.” Sometimes it’s true. Sometimes it isn’t. Either way, by the time that call reaches a tenant’s lawyer, the Arizona landlord on the other end has often already lost the fight, and they don’t even know it yet.

Most high-volume eviction firms in Arizona focus on a single outcome: getting the keys back. And while regaining possession is critical, it’s only half the battle. After the locks are changed and the unit is re-rented, you’re often left holding a money judgment for unpaid rent, damages, and late fees, with no realistic way to collect.

Many Arizona landlords assume that without a signed lease, a tenant has little or no legal standing. That assumption is wrong, and acting on it can lead to failed evictions, financial penalties, and costly litigation. Under Arizona law, the absence of a written lease does not eliminate tenant protections.