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One of the main causes in recent years is an illegal rent-fixing scheme that multiple property management companies, along with a service called RealPage, have been accused of committing. The United States Department of Justice and multiple individual states have filed lawsuits against these companies for colluding to eliminate competitive pricing and artificially raise rents across the country.  Arizona’s Attorney General has accused RealPage and nine property management companies of a conspiracy to deceive consumers and create higher than competitive rental prices.

Who are the property management companies involved? 

These are the property managers named in the Arizona lawsuit for working with RealPage to increase rent prices across Arizona and the United States:

• AMC (Apartment Management Consultants LLC)

• Avenue5 Residential

• BH Properties

• Camden Property Trust

• Greystar

• HSL Properties

• RPM Living

• Trammell Crow Residential

• Weidner Apartment Homes

This is believed to have impacted approximately 70% of multifamily apartment units in Phoenix and approximately 50% of multifamily apartment units in Tucson, according to the Arizona Attorney General's complaint. If you live in a property managed by one of these companies, you have likely seen a historic rent increase of 30% or more in just the last two years.

Why are there no rent control laws in Arizona? 

In the state of Arizona, rent control is prevented by Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) §33-1329 and §33-1416. Per A.R.S. §33-1329, “Cities, including charter cities, or towns shall not have the power to control rents.” A.R.S. §33-1416 further clarifies that rent control on mobile home spaces is also of statewide concern and therefore cannot be controlled by municipalities.

The Arizona State Legislature refuses to take action on the historic price increases facing renters in Arizona. Two state representatives proposed bills addressing the issue in 2023; HB-2086 sought to repeal the aforementioned statutes, and HB-2161 aimed to limit rent increases, with the exception of mobile homes. According to the Arizona State Legislature Bill Status Inquiry website, both bills were voted on by three committees in the Arizona House of Representatives, and both received a unanimous rejection. No such bills have been proposed in 2024.

Our elected representatives are not committed to fixing the problem. It's time for the people of Arizona to take matters into our own hands and demand rent control.