questions & answers

Question: I requested 2 services for repairs going on 5 days now and the landlord has yet to complete them. Texting back and forth and on 3 occasions, the current one tonight, Maintenance Man was suppose to arrive to complete one of the repairs but never showed up.

Answer: The rights that a tenant may exercise in such a situation depend in large part on (1) how immediately necessary the requested repairs are and (2) whether the tenant wishes to continue to reside in the dwelling or to vacate the dwelling if the requested repairs are not made within a reasonable period of time. Either way, the tenant must give formal written notice to the landlord along with an opportunity for the landlord to make the repairs as requested, assuming those repairs are the responsibility of the landlord under the rental agreement and according to the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Most important: under Arizona law a tenant may *not* withhold rent, whether in whole or in part, no matter how serious the problem may be. There are links to free and low-cost legal services on this website, if you would like to speak with an attorney.