Free Arizona Rent Increase Notice
Arizona has no rent control and no cap on how much you can raise the rent — the state even bars cities from imposing rent control — but a rent increase is a change of terms on a periodic tenancy, so you must give written notice under the Arizona Landlord and Tenant Act: 30 days month-to-month, 10 days week-to-week, and the lease still governs a fixed term. Generate a clean notice below.
This Arizona Rent Increase Notice raises the rent on a periodic tenancy under the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Arizona sets no statewide cap on the amount — and A.R.S. 33-1329 forbids cities from adopting rent control — but a rent change is handled like any change of terms: give at least 30 days’ written notice for a month-to-month tenancy and 10 days for week-to-week (A.R.S. 33-1375). Keep the increase out of the retaliation bar in Section 33-1381. Our how to raise rent guide covers the timing, and the tenant screening laws by state hub helps you place reliable tenants in the first place.
Arizona Rent Increase at a Glance
Statute
A.R.S. 33-1375
Statewide rent cap
None
Month-to-month notice
30 days (10 wk-to-wk)
Retaliation bar
A.R.S. 33-1381
Arizona rent-increase rules at a glance
Arizona does not cap rent and bars cities from imposing rent control (A.R.S. 33-1329). Because a rent increase is a change of terms on a periodic tenancy, give written notice the same way you would end the tenancy under A.R.S. 33-1375: at least 30 days for a month-to-month tenancy and at least 10 days for week-to-week, before the next rental date. The new rent takes effect at the start of the next rental period. You cannot raise rent during a fixed term unless the lease allows it, and you cannot raise it in retaliation for a tenant’s protected action (A.R.S. 33-1381, a six-month presumption).
How to Serve the Arizona Rent Increase Notice
Determine the required notice period
Confirm the tenancy type. You cannot raise the rent mid-term on a fixed-term lease unless the lease itself allows it; a periodic tenancy — month-to-month or week-to-week — can change with proper written notice.
Calculate the increase
Set the notice period from the rental period. Under A.R.S. 33-1375 a month-to-month tenancy needs at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rental date, and a week-to-week tenancy needs at least 10 days. The new rent takes effect at the start of the next rental period after the notice runs.
Prepare the written notice
Make sure the timing is not retaliatory. A.R.S. 33-1381 presumes retaliation if a landlord raises the rent within six months after a tenant complains of a code or habitability violation, complains to or organizes a tenants’ union, or complains to a government agency about the condition of the unit.
Serve the notice
Put the increase in writing — the current rent, the new rent, and the effective date — and deliver it by a method you can prove. Under A.R.S. 33-1313 hand delivery or registered/certified mail counts; mailed notice is deemed received on actual receipt or five days after mailing, whichever is first.
Document and follow up
Keep a signed, dated copy and proof of delivery. If the tenant later disputes the increase or the notice period, that record is what shows the notice was proper and timely under A.R.S. 33-1375.
Generate the Arizona Notice
Complete the fields below to generate an Arizona rent increase notice. The new rent and effective date must give the tenant the full statutory notice period. Service should comply with applicable Arizona law; retain proof of service.
Set the effective date correctly
Count the full notice period from when the tenant receives the notice — 30 days month-to-month or 10 days week-to-week — and set the effective date after it ends. On a month-to-month tenancy the new rent should take hold at the next rental date that falls after the 30-day period runs; an effective date that arrives before the notice period closes makes the increase unenforceable for that period. When you mail by registered or certified mail, A.R.S. 33-1313 deems the notice received five days after mailing if not received sooner, so count the period from that date.
1. Parties & Property
From (Landlord / Property Manager)
To (Tenant)
2. Rent Change Details
3. Notice Details
4. Signature
About This Arizona Notice
An Arizona rent increase notice is the written notice a landlord gives to raise the rent on a tenancy governed by the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (A.R.S. Title 33, Chapter 10). Arizona is a market-rate state: there is no statewide rent control and no statutory cap on how much the rent can go up, and no limit on how often a landlord may raise it. Arizona goes a step further than most states — A.R.S. 33-1329 forbids any city, town, or county from enacting rent control on private residential property, so a local rent cap simply does not exist. What the law regulates instead is when and how an increase can take effect, and it does that through the tenancy type and the notice period.
The controlling question is whether the tenancy is fixed-term or periodic. On a fixed-term lease, the rent is locked for the term and cannot be raised mid-lease unless the lease itself contains an escalation clause; any increase takes effect at renewal. On a periodic tenancy, the landlord can change the rent prospectively because a rent change is a change of the tenancy’s terms. The Act ties that change to the same notice it requires to end a periodic tenancy under A.R.S. 33-1375: at least 30 days’ written notice for a month-to-month tenancy, given before the periodic rental date, and at least 10 days for a week-to-week tenancy. The new rent then takes effect at the start of the next rental period after that notice runs — not partway through a month the tenant has already begun.
Even without a cap, an increase can still be unlawful because of its motive. A.R.S. 33-1381 prohibits a landlord from retaliating against a tenant — including by raising the rent, decreasing services, or bringing or threatening an action for possession — after the tenant complains to a governmental agency about a building or housing code violation, complains to the landlord about a condition the landlord must repair, or organizes or joins a tenants’ union. The statute builds in a presumption: if the landlord acts within six months after the protected complaint, retaliation is presumed, and the burden shifts to the landlord to show a legitimate reason. The presumption is rebuttable — a landlord can still raise the rent during that window for a bona fide business reason — but timing an increase right after a complaint invites the defense. Federal and Arizona fair housing law independently bar an increase aimed at a tenant because of a protected characteristic.
How the notice is served matters too. Under A.R.S. 33-1313 a tenant receives a notice when it is delivered in hand or mailed by registered or certified mail to the place held out for receipt; a mailed notice is deemed received on the date it is actually received or five days after it is mailed, whichever comes first. The practical standard is provable written delivery: hand the notice to the tenant, leave it at the premises if the tenant is absent, or send it registered or certified with a return receipt, and remember to count the notice period from the deemed-receipt date when you mail. Email or a tenant portal is fine only when the lease authorizes electronic notice. Whatever the method, the notice should state the current rent, the new rent, and the effective date, and the landlord should keep a signed, dated copy with proof of delivery. Our how to raise rent guide walks through the timing, and screening applicants with verified reports keeps tenancies stable so the increases you serve actually stick.
Put together, a clean Arizona increase is simple but exact: confirm the tenancy is periodic or at renewal, match the notice to the rental period (30 days month-to-month, 10 days week-to-week, before the next rental date), keep the timing outside the six-month retaliation presumption of A.R.S. 33-1381, deliver the notice in writing with proof under A.R.S. 33-1313, and never let the increase track a tenant’s protected complaint. None of this replaces the screening you do at move-in — a tenant chosen for steady income and a clean payment history is the one most likely to absorb a lawful increase without a dispute.
How Often and How Much Can You Raise the Rent in Arizona?
Arizona is a market-rate state, so both answers are set by the market, not by a statute. There is no cap on the amount of a rent increase and no limit on how often a landlord may raise the rent on a periodic tenancy — a month-to-month landlord could, in principle, raise the rent every month, provided each increase is preceded by its own written 30-day notice under A.R.S. 33-1375. A.R.S. 33-1329 reinforces this by preempting local rent control: no Arizona city, town, or county may cap private residential rents, so there is no local percentage ceiling to check either. A landlord also does not have to give a reason for the increase. The only real limits are timing (the A.R.S. 33-1375 notice period), the fixed-term rule (no mid-lease increase unless the lease has an escalation clause), and motive (the increase cannot be retaliatory under A.R.S. 33-1381 or discriminatory under fair housing law).
What If the Tenant Does Not Agree to the Increase?
A rent increase on an Arizona periodic tenancy does not require the tenant’s agreement — it is a lawful change of terms once the A.R.S. 33-1375 notice runs. The tenant has three practical choices: pay the new rent and stay, negotiate a different number with the landlord, or reject the increase by giving the landlord written notice (30 days for month-to-month, 10 days for week-to-week) and moving out before the new rent takes effect. What a tenant cannot do is stay past the effective date and keep paying the old amount. If a tenant holds over and pays only the former rent after a valid increase, the shortfall is unpaid rent: the landlord can serve a five-day notice to pay under A.R.S. 33-1368 and, if it is not paid, file a special detainer for possession. A tenant who refuses to leave after a proper termination is a holdover, and A.R.S. 33-1375(C) lets the landlord bring an action for possession — and, where the holdover is willful and not in good faith, recover up to two months’ periodic rent or twice the actual damages, whichever is greater. None of this turns on the tenant “accepting” the increase; it turns on whether the notice was proper and the increase was lawful.
Raising the Security Deposit Along With the Rent
Landlords who raise the rent often want a larger security deposit to match. The deposit is itself a term of the tenancy, so on a periodic tenancy an increase in the required deposit is a change of terms that needs the same written notice as the rent increase — 30 days for month-to-month under A.R.S. 33-1375 — and it takes effect at the next rental period, not immediately. It is also capped: A.R.S. 33-1321(A) bars a landlord from demanding or receiving security, however denominated, in an amount or value of more than one and one-half month’s rent. Because that cap is measured against the rent, a higher rent does lift the ceiling, but the total prepaid security and deposits still cannot exceed one and one-half months of the new rent. Any fee or deposit the landlord wants to keep must be stated in writing as nonrefundable, or it is refundable.
Subsidized Housing and the Rent-Control Preemption Exception
The A.R.S. 33-1329 preemption of local rent control is not absolute. Subsection B carves out residential property that is owned, financed, insured, or subsidized by a state agency or by a city or town — that housing is not shielded from local regulation the way market-rate private housing is. As a practical matter, if the unit is public housing, project-based Section 8, or a Housing Choice Voucher tenancy, the increase is governed by the program’s rules and contract as well as by state law: voucher and subsidized programs typically require their own notice (often 60 days) and, in some programs, agency approval of the new rent. The “subsidized / housing voucher” option in the generator is a reminder to check those program rules before you rely on a standard 30-day notice.
When a Rent Increase Is Illegal in Arizona
Even with no cap, an increase can be unlawful because of when or why it is served. A.R.S. 33-1381 bars a landlord from raising the rent, cutting services, or bringing a possession action to retaliate after the tenant complains to a housing-code agency, complains to the landlord about a condition the landlord must repair under A.R.S. 33-1324, or organizes or joins a tenants’ union. If the increase lands within six months of that protected complaint, the statute presumes retaliation and the landlord must show a legitimate reason. Two limits keep the presumption fair to landlords: it does not arise if the tenant made the complaint only after receiving a notice of termination, and under subsection C the landlord may still pursue possession if the tenant caused the code violation or is in default on rent. Separately, the federal Fair Housing Act and Arizona’s civil-rights law forbid an increase aimed at a tenant because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability. A rent increase that clears the notice period but crosses either bar is unenforceable and gives the tenant a defense.
This Form Does Not Cover Mobile Home Parks
This notice is for dwellings governed by the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (A.R.S. Title 33, Chapter 10). Space rentals in mobile home and manufactured-home parks fall under a separate law — the Arizona Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (A.R.S. Title 33, Chapter 11) — which sets its own rent rules, including a landlord’s duty under A.R.S. 33-1432 to disclose the prior three calendar years’ space-rent history to a prospective tenant. If you rent a space in a mobile home park, do not use this form; follow the Chapter 11 procedures instead.
Arizona Statutory Requirements
- No statewide cap on the amount of a rent increase, and no rent control — A.R.S. 33-1329 bars cities, towns, and counties from controlling residential rents.
- Written notice as a change of terms on a periodic tenancy — A.R.S. 33-1375 requires at least 30 days for month-to-month and at least 10 days for week-to-week, before the next rental date.
- The new rent takes effect at the start of the next rental period after the notice period runs, not mid-period.
- No mid-term increase on a fixed-term lease unless the lease expressly allows it; the increase applies at renewal.
- No retaliatory increase — A.R.S. 33-1381 presumes retaliation if the rent is raised within six months of a tenant’s protected action.
- No discriminatory increase based on a protected class (federal Fair Housing Act and Arizona civil-rights law).
Service Methods Permitted
- Deliver the notice in writing within the A.R.S. 33-1375 period — the goal is provable written delivery under A.R.S. 33-1313.
- Personal delivery in hand to the tenant, or delivery left at the rental premises if the tenant is absent.
- Registered or certified mail with a return receipt gives a dated paper trail; a mailed notice is deemed received on actual receipt or five days after mailing, whichever is first.
- Email or a tenant portal works only if the lease authorizes electronic notice; keep the send record either way.
Common Mistakes
- Raising the rent mid-term on a fixed-term lease that does not allow it.
- Giving only 10 days on a month-to-month tenancy — month-to-month requires 30 days under A.R.S. 33-1375.
- Forgetting that a registered/certified mailing is deemed received five days after mailing — count the notice period from that date.
- Raising the rent right after a tenant’s repair complaint or housing-agency report — A.R.S. 33-1381 presumes that is retaliation for six months.
- Relying on a verbal notice with no written record or proof of delivery.
Best Practices
- Read the lease first — a fixed term locks the rent until renewal, and any lease notice term that is more generous controls.
- Match the notice to the rental period: 30 days month-to-month, 10 days week-to-week, before the next rental date.
- State the current rent, the new rent, and the effective date plainly, and tie the effective date to the next rental period after the notice runs.
- Deliver by a method you can prove — certified mail keeps the five-day deemed-receipt rule on your side — and avoid timing an increase right after a tenant complaint.
Bottom line
In Arizona there is no rent cap — and cities cannot impose one (A.R.S. 33-1329) — but a rent increase is a change of terms on a periodic tenancy: give 30 days’ written notice month-to-month and 10 days week-to-week under A.R.S. 33-1375. No mid-term change on a fixed lease, and never inside the six-month retaliation presumption of Section 33-1381.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice is required for an Arizona rent increase?
It depends on the rental period. Under A.R.S. 33-1375, a month-to-month tenancy needs at least 30 days’ written notice before the next periodic rental date, and a week-to-week tenancy needs at least 10 days. A rent increase is treated as a change of the tenancy’s terms, and the new rent takes effect at the start of the next rental period after the notice runs.
Is there a cap on rent increases in Arizona?
No. Arizona has no statewide rent control and no cap on the amount of an increase, and no limit on how often a landlord may raise the rent. Arizona even prohibits cities, towns, and counties from adopting rent control (A.R.S. 33-1329). The only limits are proper notice under A.R.S. 33-1375, no mid-term increase on a fixed lease, and the retaliation and fair-housing bars.
How must the notice be delivered?
Arizona contemplates written delivery you can prove. Under A.R.S. 33-1313, hand the notice to the tenant or send it by registered or certified mail to the address held out for receipt; leaving it at the premises if the tenant is absent also works. A mailed notice is deemed received on actual receipt or five days after mailing, whichever is first, so count the notice period from that date. Email or a tenant portal works only if the lease authorizes electronic notice.
Can a landlord raise rent during a fixed-term Arizona lease?
Not during the fixed term. On a fixed-term lease the rent is locked unless the lease has an escalation clause, and any increase takes effect at renewal. A periodic tenancy — month-to-month or week-to-week — can be increased prospectively with the proper A.R.S. 33-1375 notice.
Can a rent increase be illegal in Arizona?
Yes, indirectly. A.R.S. 33-1381 bars a landlord from raising the rent in retaliation after a tenant complains of a code or habitability violation, complains to a government agency, or organizes or joins a tenants’ union. If the landlord raises the rent within six months of that protected act, retaliation is presumed and the landlord must show a legitimate reason; otherwise the increase is unlawful and gives the tenant a defense.
What happens if the tenant doesn’t pay the new rent?
If the increase is on a periodic tenancy with proper A.R.S. 33-1375 notice and outside the retaliation presumption, the tenant either pays the new rent or gives notice and moves out. If the tenant stays and pays only the old amount after a valid increase, the shortfall is unpaid rent the landlord can address with a five-day notice to pay or quit under the Act.
What are common mistakes that invalidate the notice?
The usual errors are raising rent mid-term on a fixed lease, giving 10 days on a month-to-month tenancy when 30 days is required, forgetting that a certified mailing is deemed received five days after mailing, timing the increase as retaliation under A.R.S. 33-1381, and relying on a verbal notice with no proof of delivery. Any one of these can make the increase unenforceable for that period.
How often can a landlord raise rent in Arizona?
Arizona sets no limit on how often rent can be raised on a periodic tenancy. Each increase simply needs its own written notice — 30 days for a month-to-month tenancy, 10 days for week-to-week — under A.R.S. 33-1375, and it must not be retaliatory or discriminatory. On a fixed-term lease the rent cannot change until renewal unless the lease allows it.
Does an Arizona landlord have to give a reason to raise the rent?
No. Arizona does not require a landlord to justify a rent increase. Because there is no rent cap and no rent control (A.R.S. 33-1329 even bars cities from adopting it), the landlord only has to give proper written notice under A.R.S. 33-1375 and keep the increase outside the retaliation bar in A.R.S. 33-1381 and the fair-housing bar on discrimination.
Can a landlord raise the security deposit when the rent goes up?
Yes, but it is its own change of terms. On a periodic tenancy a higher deposit requires the same written notice as the rent increase (30 days month-to-month), and it takes effect at the next rental period. The total security a landlord may hold is capped at one and one-half month’s rent under A.R.S. 33-1321, measured against the new rent, and any nonrefundable portion must be stated in writing.
Does this apply to Section 8 or subsidized housing in Arizona?
Not on its own. A.R.S. 33-1329(B) exempts housing that is owned, financed, insured, or subsidized by a government agency from the rent-control preemption, and public housing, project-based Section 8, and Housing Choice Voucher tenancies are governed by their own program rules and contracts. Those programs usually require their own notice (often 60 days) and sometimes agency approval of the new rent, so check the program before serving a standard 30-day notice.
Can a landlord charge a late fee on the higher rent?
Arizona does not set a statutory cap on residential late fees, but a late fee is enforceable only if it is written into the lease and is reasonable. Raising the rent does not change that: the late fee still comes from the lease terms, not from the increase notice, and an unreasonable or undocumented fee can be challenged.
Can a landlord evict a tenant who will not pay the increased rent?
If the increase was lawful and properly noticed under A.R.S. 33-1375, a tenant who stays and pays only the old rent is short on rent. The landlord can serve a five-day notice to pay under A.R.S. 33-1368 and file a special detainer for possession if it is not paid. A tenant who holds over after a proper termination faces an action for possession under A.R.S. 33-1375(C). The tenant cannot be evicted, though, if the increase was retaliatory or discriminatory.
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