The state of Arizona and many cities and counties have made financial assistance available to renters struggling to pay their rent due to COVID-19.
Renters in Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, Santa Cruz, and Yavapai Counties can apply online for rent payment assistance from the Arizona Department of Economic Security at https://des.az.gov/ERAP.
Maricopa County
Phoenix can apply here: https://wildfireaz.org/erap,
Glendale can apply here: https://glendaleaz.com/cap,
Chandler can apply here: https://azcend.org/community-action-program/,
Mesa can apply here: https://www.mesaaz.gov/government/mesa-cares, and
Gilbert can apply here: https://www.gilbertaz.gov/residents/community-and-neighborhood-services/community-resources/foreclosure-prevention-predatory-lending-information/
Renters in all other Maricopa County cities/towns may apply here: https://www.maricopa.gov/helpwithbills.
Pima County
Renters in the city of Tucson and Pima County can apply here: https://tucsonpimaep.com/
Yuma County
Renters in Yuma County can apply here: https://www.wacog.com/ycerap/
Other COVID-19 related help and resources may be found on Arizona Together.
No. You do not have to move out until a Writ of Restitution (lock out order) is signed by the Court and the Constable comes to serve it.
A Writ of Restitution will be issued if you still owe rent in different ways, depending on where you are in the court process.
- If the Court has NOT issued a judgment for non-payment of rent against you but a case was filed, the landlord will need to request a hearing and prove the amounts of rent and other costs owed in order to get a judgment and a Writ of Restitution. You should receive notice of this hearing by the landlord and the Court. A Constable comes to perform the lockout 5 days after the Writ of Restitution is signed and you will need to leave the property immediately if you have not already moved.
- If the Court issued a judgment for non-payment of rent against you previously and no changes need to be made to the judgment (no payments were made, and no rental assistance was received), the landlord must file an Application for a Writ of Restitution and have the court sign it. You should receive a copy of this Application, but there will be no hearing. If the Writ of Restitution is signed by the Court, the Constable could come after 5 days, and you will be required to leave your home immediately.
- If the Court issued a judgment for non-payment of rent against you and changes are needed to the amount of rent and other costs owed (for example: if rental assistance was received or if the landlord is seeking additional rent or costs), the landlord must request a hearing. You will be notified of the hearing by the Court and the landlord. At that hearing, be sure that the proper amount of rent and other costs are being requested. If the judge signs the judgment, he or she will also sign the Writ of Restitution, and you will have 5 days before the constable will come to do a lockout of the home.
For more information about eviction and to find help, visit AZEvictionHelp.
Maybe. If the landlord did not get a judgment against you, or if the landlord got a judgment against you and now the amount of the judgment must be changed (because the landlord is seeking additional rent owed, or if rental assistance was received and applied to the balance), the Court will hold another hearing to establish the amount of the judgment. You should receive at least three days notice of this hearing. It is important to make sure the amounts owed are correct so keep track of any rental assistance amounts paid to the landlord and review the ledger provided with the notice of hearing.
For more information about eviction and to find help, visit AZEvictionHelp.
If the Court orders you out of your home (a Writ of Restitution is signed), you will have 5 days from the date of the Writ before the Constable will come to do the lockout. Once the Constable comes, you will only have a few minutes to leave your home.
For more information about eviction and to find help, visit AZEvictionHelp.An Enterprise Property means that it has a federally-backed mortgage by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. The federal government is requiring that landlords who own these properties give tenants 30-days notice before they can be evicted.
For more information about eviction and to find help, visit AZEvictionHelp.
Any homeowner who can’t pay their mortgage because of COVID-19 should contact their mortgage servicer right away. The mortgage servicer’s contact information can usually be found on the monthly mortgage statement or coupon book. If a homeowner can’t find their mortgage servicer’s contact information or isn’t sure who their mortgage servicer is, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau provides helpful tips here: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-can-i-tell-who-owns-my-mortgage-en-214.
Save Our Home AZ is a program to help Arizona homeowners avoid foreclosure by making their mortgage payments more affordable – through Principal Reduction Assistance, Monthly Mortgage Subsidy Assistance for underemployed and unemployed Arizonans, and Second Lien Elimination Assistance to qualified Arizona homeowners.
Visit consumerfinance.gov for up-to-date information on relief options, protections, and key deadlines for housing assistance.
It depends. If a homeowner’s mortgage is backed by the federal government, the homeowner’s mortgage servicer won’t be allowed to begin a foreclosure action against them until at least June 30, 2021. This foreclosure “freeze” applies to mortgages backed by:
• Fannie Mae
• Freddie Mac
• U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)
• U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
If a homeowner doesn’t know whether their mortgage is “federally backed,” they should ask their mortgage servicer.
If a homeowner’s mortgage is not backed by the federal government, this foreclosure freeze does not apply. However, many private mortgage servicers are providing similar relief to homeowners, so every homeowner who can’t pay their mortgage because of COVID-19 may wish to contact their mortgage servicer to ask what the homeowner’s options are.
Visit consumerfinance.gov for up-to-date information on relief options, protections, and key deadlines for housing assistance.
For those who entered forbearance on or before June 30, 2020, recent federal action has provided up to six months of additional mortgage payment forbearance in three-month increments.
A forbearance does not mean that a homeowner’s payments are forgiven. At the end of the forbearance period, the homeowner must begin catching up on the payments they missed or only partially made. This is why the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau strongly recommends that homeowners continue to make their mortgage payments on time and in full if they can.
The right to ask for and get a forbearance applies to mortgages backed by:
• Fannie Mae
• Freddie Mac
• U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)
• U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
If a homeowner doesn’t know whether their mortgage is “federally backed,” they should ask their mortgage servicer.
If a homeowner’s mortgage is not backed by the federal government, the homeowner still may be able to ask for and get a forbearance, but it will be up to their mortgage servicer. Any forbearance agreement between a homeowner and their mortgage servicer should be in writing, and the homeowner should carefully review all the terms and conditions of the agreement before the homeowner signs it.
Visit consumerfinance.gov for up-to-date information on relief options, protections, and key deadlines for housing assistance.
No. Landlords must comply with Arizona law, regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic. If a tenant’s air conditioning is not working, the tenant must notify the landlord (ideally, in writing). Once the tenant has notified the landlord, the landlord must make the required repairs as soon as possible. The landlord is legally required to fix the tenant’s air conditioning regardless of whether the tenant has paid their rent.
If the landlord knows the tenant has tested positive for COVID-19, it is up to the landlord to make the required repairs in a way that protects everyone’s health and safety. For example, the landlord may insist that a tenant who has tested positive for COVID-19 (and everyone else in the tenant’s household) be wearing a mask and remain in another closed room while the repairs are being made. Both the landlord and the tenant may also insist that the person making the repairs wear personal protective equipment (PPE), such as a mask and gloves. That way, the repairs can be made without putting anyone’s health and safety at risk.
