questions & answers

Question: We moved in our home and we were charged a deposit of 1100 and last months rent of 1100 we had an agency pay our last months rent I understand my landlord has 14 days to pay us the deposit back but when does she pay the last months rent back considering it's already been paid?

Answer: As a general rule, once a landlord has conducted a move-out walkthrough and found no damage to the rented dwelling beyond ordinary wear and tear (for which tenants are not responsible under A.R.S. 33-321), and there is no other basis on which the landlord may deduct any money from the tenant’s deposit, the landlord should send the full amount of the deposit to the tenant within 14 business days after receiving a letter from the tenant requesting its return (A.R.S. 33-1321(D)). This is important: the tenant must send a written request to the landlord (keeping a copy for the tenant’s own records). If what was called “last month’s rent” was not used by the tenant to pay the landlord for the tenant’s last month in the dwelling, then it is considered to be part of the tenant’s deposit.