Residents of Buenas Apartments on 27th Avenue in North Phoenix say they received letters announcing rent increases of hundreds of dollars, and some tenants who couldn’t keep up were handed five-day eviction notices soon after. The sudden hikes have left longtime renters at the 72-unit complex scrambling to figure out their next move.
The situation was first reported by FOX 10 Phoenix, whose Andrew Christiansen detailed the letter residents received laying out the new rent terms. Buenas Apartments, a two-story, 72-unit property built in 1974 and located at 7232 N 27th Ave, offers one- and two-bedroom floor plans, according to Apartments.com. For renters on month-to-month agreements there, the law requires only 30 days’ written notice before a landlord can raise rent or change lease terms, per Arizona Revised Statutes § 33-1375(B) as outlined by DocDraft.
Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 33-1368(B), landlords must first issue a formal five-day notice demanding full payment of past-due rent before they can move forward with an eviction lawsuit, according to AZCourtHelp.org. That means tenants who can’t cover the new, higher rent amount within five days of the notice can find themselves facing a special detainer action in court as soon as the sixth day.
No Local Power to Cap the Increases
Rent Increases and Tenant Choices Rent increases can leave tenants weighing whether they can afford to stay…