What should I check in an Arizona lease, and what are my rights as a tenant?

The Arizona Department of Housing publishes the Act and plain-language summaries of what landlords and tenants owe each other: a written move-in inspection you should complete carefully, the deposit cap and the deadline for its return, the landlord’s duty to keep the home habitable and make repairs after written notice, and the notice periods for ending a tenancy [1]. The statute text itself sits in Title 33 of the Arizona Revised Statutes if you need the exact wording [2].

Read every lease for the things the Act leaves to the contract: application and administrative fees, the rent due date and late fees, who pays which utilities, whether renters insurance is required, pet rules, HOA rules you must follow, and what it costs to leave early. Twelve months is standard; month-to-month is possible at a premium. Many landlords ask newcomers without US credit for a larger deposit or a co-signer; the deposit cap still applies.

Before paying anything, confirm that the person leasing to you actually owns or manages the home: the county assessor’s parcel search shows the owner of record for any address [3]. Scams built around urgency and wire transfers are common, and the Attorney General takes complaints [4].