Arizona landlord entry notice: two days, reasonable hours and a service-request shortcut
Arizona gives a landlord a right to enter for inspections, repairs, services and showings, with at least two days' notice and at reasonable times. A tenant's own service request counts as permission, and in an emergency no notice is needed. Outside those cases the statute says the landlord has no other right of access except by court order.
What does A.R.S. 33-1343 allow?
Subsection A says a tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to access for inspection, repair, improvements, supplying services, and showing the unit to buyers, lenders, tenants and contractors. As in many states, the law assumes the visit is legitimate and focuses on the manner.
How much notice is required, and when is it waived?
Under subsection D the landlord must give at least two days' notice of the intent to enter, and may enter only at reasonable times. The exceptions are an emergency, or a situation where giving notice is impracticable.
Subsection B handles the most common maintenance case. When a tenant asks for service or maintenance, the request is treated as permission to enter for that purpose, and the tenant waives the separate two-day notice for it. A tenant who writes "the sink is leaking, please send someone" has therefore opened the door for the plumber without a second letter. Keep the request itself; it is your proof.
Example a made-up owner in Tucson gets a text on Monday asking for a fix to a broken closet door. The owner schedules a handyman for Wednesday afternoon. Because the tenant asked for the work, the two-day notice is waived for that repair. For a routine walk-through the same owner would need to notify the tenant by Monday for a Wednesday visit.
What counts as an emergency?
Subsection C lets the landlord enter without consent in an emergency. The statute does not list examples, so use the ordinary meaning: active water, gas, smoke or something that endangers people or the building. A dripping faucet that has dripped for a month is not one.
What about every other situation?
Subsection E closes the door. Except as the section and the abandonment and surrender provisions allow, and apart from court order and sections 33-1369 and 33-1370, the landlord has no other right of access. A landlord who lets himself in "to check on things" with no purpose from the list, no emergency and no request risks the worse position in any later dispute. Subsection D also bars using the right of access to harass.
How to write the notice
- State the reason in one line, such as "annual smoke alarm check".
- Offer a date at least two full days ahead and a time that is reasonable for a household.
- Add a number the tenant can call to reschedule.
- Save the message with the date it was sent.
Mistakes to avoid in Arizona
The service-request rule is generous but narrow: it covers the repair the tenant asked for, not a walk-through you add while the plumber is there. If you want to look at the smoke alarms on the same visit, say so in advance and count your two days. Another common slip is relying on a lease sentence that lets the landlord enter at any time. Subsection E says the landlord has no other right of access, so a lease clause cannot create one. Finally, watch the words "reasonable times". A seven o'clock morning visit for a night-shift worker may meet the two-day rule and still be hard to defend. When in doubt, offer two windows and let the tenant choose.
How DoorKeeping fits in Arizona
DoorKeeping keeps the messages you send tenants in one thread with each unit, so the entry notice you write for Arizona and the date it went out sit beside the lease and the work order. Maintenance requests from tenants arrive in the same thread, which keeps the permission in subsection B beside the visit it covers. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute and your lease before you act.
Sources
Questions
- How many days' notice does an Arizona landlord need before entering?
- At least two days, entering only at reasonable times, unless there is an emergency or notice is impracticable (A.R.S. 33-1343(D)).
- Does a repair request from the tenant waive the notice?
- Yes. Under 33-1343(B) the request is permission to enter for that purpose and waives the separate access notice.
- Can an Arizona landlord enter for any other reason?
- The statute says the landlord has no other right of access except by court order, besides the listed provisions.