Arizona Eviction Timeline Explainer Where you are, what happens next, and how many days you have

No. In Arizona only a constable or sheriff executing a court-issued writ of restitution can remove you. A landlord who locks you out, removes your belongings, or shuts off utilities without that writ is breaking the law, and you may be entitled to damages. If it happens, document everything and call legal aid right away.

Partial payments have a special rule (A.R.S. § 33-1371): if the landlord accepts a partial payment without making you sign a written agreement that they can still evict if the rest is not paid by a set date, they cannot lawfully file an eviction for nonpayment for that rental period. If you do sign such an agreement, the deadline in it controls. Get every agreement in writing, signed and dated, and keep a copy.

If you move out and return the keys before the 5-day period ends, the landlord cannot lawfully file the eviction Complaint — so no eviction judgment appears on your record. You will still owe the money as a debt, but avoiding an eviction judgment matters a lot for renting in the future.

Be very careful. A stipulated judgment is a judgment evicting you that you agree to without a hearing. Once you sign, you cannot change your mind: you give up your defenses, any counterclaim, and your right to appeal — and paying the judgment amount does not let you stay unless the landlord agrees in writing. The landlord's attorney is not a court employee and does not represent you. If you can, talk to legal aid before signing anything.

• You actually paid — bring receipts or witnesses, or ask the judge to make the landlord produce the 6-month payment ledger.
• The landlord accepted a partial payment without a signed written agreement preserving the eviction.
• Bad notice or bad service — the notice did not state the amount owed or the 5 days; the Complaint was filed before the 5 days ended; the Summons came less than 2 days before the hearing or was not delivered by a sheriff, constable, or certified process server.
• Missing paperwork — the Summons must come with a stamped copy of the Complaint, the notice, the Residential Eviction Information Sheet, the relevant lease pages, and (for nonpayment) a 6-month ledger.
• Subsidized housing overcharge — if your rent is subsidized, the landlord cannot claim more than your actual portion. Report overcharges to HUD at 1-800-347-3745.
• Counterclaim — if the unit was not kept fit and habitable (no cooling, pests, leaks) and the landlord ignored your written notices, you can file a counterclaim.

The landlord must hold your personal property for 14 days after the constable or sheriff serves the writ. To get it back, you pay the landlord's actual removal and storage costs — not the judgment amount. Prioritize ID, documents, medications, phone chargers, and irreplaceable items first if you can.

Not exactly. This page covers nonpayment of rent, the most common case. Other notices run on different clocks: a 10-day notice for other lease violations, a 5-day notice for health and safety issues, and an "immediate" notice for things the law calls material and irreparable — where the hearing and writ move much faster (the writ can issue 12–24 hours after judgment). Mobile home parks and RV spaces have their own statutes entirely. For those situations, go straight to AZEvictionHelp.org or legal aid.

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