Rent Cap Ledger

Phoenix · No rent cap

How much can a landlord raise rent in Phoenix?

No cap

No rent cap in effect · checked Oct 18, 2026

There's no limit on how much a landlord can raise rent in Phoenix: Arizona law says cities shall not have the power to control rents. A month-to-month tenancy can be ended, and its terms changed, with at least 30 days' written notice before the rental date.

In effect
No cap in effect
Next change
No fixed date
Set by
Arizona law (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) · No rent cap
Last checked
October 18, 2026

Arizona law preempts rent control, so Phoenix can't cap increases.

§ 1 · The law

Why Phoenix has no rent cap

No cap

There's no formula, because there's no cap. A.R.S. § 33-1329 declares rent control on private housing a matter of statewide concern and says cities, including charter cities, and towns shall not have the power to control rents.

Law: No rent control: A.R.S. § 33-1329 preempts city rent control.

§ 2 · Coverage

What still limits an increase

What applies

  • A month-to-month tenancy can be ended with at least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date (A.R.S. § 33-1375), which is how terms such as rent change between months
  • No retaliatory increase after a tenant complains to a code agency or the landlord, or joins a tenants' union (A.R.S. § 33-1381)

Limits that don't apply

  • No limit on the size of an increase: state law preempts rent control
  • The preemption doesn't cover housing owned, financed, insured or subsidized by a state agency or city

§ 3 · Timing

Notice, and when it changes next

Notice: Arizona's landlord-tenant act doesn't set a separate notice period for rent increases on the official sources we track. A month-to-month tenancy can be ended with at least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date (A.R.S. § 33-1375).

Next change: No change is scheduled. A cap would need the Arizona Legislature to change A.R.S. § 33-1329.

§ 2a · State rules

What Arizona law does limit

  • No retaliatory increases

    A landlord may not raise the rent to retaliate against a tenant who complained to a code agency or to the landlord, or who joined a tenants' union.

    Source: “a landlord may not retaliate by increasing rent or decreasing services or by bringing or threatening to bring an action for possession”

  • Presumption of retaliation

    A complaint within six months before the landlord's action creates a presumption that the action was retaliatory.

    Source: “evidence of a complaint within six months prior to the alleged act of retaliation creates a presumption that the landlord's conduct was in retaliation”

Cost of living here

Rents and prices around Phoenix

Official figures only, each for the area named. Prices are for the wider metro area; rents and incomes are for the city itself.

Price level

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area · BEA 2024

All items103.3
Housing121.2

Regional Price Parities: an index where the US average price level for all items = 100. Housing is BEA’s “Services: Housing” line (US = 100.6).

Fair Market Rents

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA · HUD FY2027

HUD Fair Market Rent per month by unit size, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA
Studio$1,390
1 bedroom$1,493
2 bedrooms$1,734
3 bedrooms$2,287
4 bedrooms$2,537

Monthly gross rent (rent plus utilities). HUD: FMRs are “estimates of 40th percentile gross rents for standard quality units”.

Rents and incomes

Phoenix city, Arizona · ACS 2020–2024 5-year

Median gross rent
$1,582/mo US $1,413/mo
Median household income
$81,332 US $80,734
Median rent as % of household income
31.0% US 30.6%

Gross rent includes utilities. The rent-to-income figure is for renter households (Census table B25071).

Sources

  1. BEA Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area (MARPP) ↗ · 2024 (released February 19, 2026) · about the data ↗ · retrieved Oct 18, 2026
  2. OMB metropolitan area delineations (Census list 1, July 2023) ↗ · July 2023 (OMB Bulletin 23-01) · retrieved Oct 18, 2026
  3. HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (county-level data file) ↗ · FY2027 · about the data ↗ · retrieved Oct 18, 2026
  4. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (tables B25064, B19013, B25071) ↗ · 2020–2024 · about the data ↗ · retrieved Oct 18, 2026

Compare Phoenix with another city → All places ranked → Can I afford my rent? →

§ 4 · Sources

Official sources

  1. Arizona State Legislature · headline figure A.R.S. § 33-1329 (regulation of rents; authority) ↗
    “Cities, including charter cities, or towns shall not have the power to control rents.”
    Last checked October 18, 2026 · azleg.gov
  2. Arizona State Legislature · month-to-month notice A.R.S. § 33-1375 (periodic tenancy; notice) ↗
    “The landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy by a written notice given to the other at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice.”
    Last checked October 18, 2026 · azleg.gov
  3. Arizona State Legislature · retaliation A.R.S. § 33-1381 (retaliatory conduct prohibited) ↗
    “a landlord may not retaliate by increasing rent or decreasing services or by bringing or threatening to bring an action for possession”
    Last checked October 18, 2026 · azleg.gov

See something out of date? The methodology page explains how we check figures.

§ 5 · Questions

Frequently asked

How much can a landlord raise rent in Phoenix?

There's no limit on how much a landlord can raise rent in Phoenix: Arizona law says cities shall not have the power to control rents. A month-to-month tenancy can be ended, and its terms changed, with at least 30 days' written notice before the rental date.

How much notice is required for a rent increase in Phoenix?

Arizona's landlord-tenant act doesn't set a separate notice period for rent increases on the official sources we track. A month-to-month tenancy can be ended with at least 30 days' written notice before the periodic rental date (A.R.S. § 33-1375).

How often can rent be raised in Phoenix?

We haven't found a once-a-year limit on the official sources we track; a fixed-term lease usually can't be changed mid-term unless it says so.

Could Phoenix adopt rent control?

No change is scheduled. A cap would need the Arizona Legislature to change A.R.S. § 33-1329.

Where does this Phoenix information come from?

From Arizona State Legislature: “A.R.S. § 33-1329 (regulation of rents; authority)”, which we last checked on October 18, 2026, plus the other official sources listed on this page. Always confirm with the agency or a lawyer before relying on it.

Elsewhere

Other jurisdictions