questions & answers

Question: I am a victim of domestic violence and had to terminate my lease the apartment did the walk out and told me that you do to me putting wax on the tile vinyl they had to replace the whole entire unit and charge me over $2000 even though it did not state in the lease that I could not put any product on the floor am I responsible

Answer: Section A.R.S. 33-1318 of the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act describes when and how a victim of domestic violence may terminate a rental agreement early without penalty. However, those special provisions do not affect whether or not a landlord may withhold all or part of a tenant’s security deposit pursuant to A.R.S. 33-1321(D) in order to make repairs made necessary by tenant-caused damage to the dwelling beyond “ordinary wear and tear” (A.R.S. 33-321). A tenant who believes that their landlord is withholding their security deposit without a lawful reason has an obligation to promptly inform the landlord in writing and may also wish to begin weighing the pros and cons of taking the landlord to court to recover the money.