Phoenix rental market improving, but eviction filings reaching near-record level in 2025

PHOENIX – Despite falling rent prices and a rising supply of apartments, metro Phoenix landlords have been filing eviction cases at a near-record level in 2025.

Rental owners are on pace to submit about 84,000 eviction filings for the year, according to Maricopa County Justice Courts data through November.

That would be about 4% below the record of over 87,000 set in 2024 but still the second-highest total on record.

Why Phoenix landlords might be motivated to reduce evictions

However, changes in the rental market are starting to influence the way property owners deal with missed payments, according to Courtney LeVinus, president and CEO of the Arizona MultiHousing Association (AMA), a trade association for landlords.

“This is a strong renters market. Because of that, owners are really trying to work with residents to keep them in their units and work out partial payment plans,” LeVinus told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

She noted that the Valley rental market has seen year-over-year decreases “for the last 11, 12 months.”

“We have finally hit a point where we’re actually oversupplied a little bit and we have more units than there is demand for them,” she said. “So, rents are declining. We’re seeing rent concessions come back into the market in a very large way.”

For example, LeVinus said some apartment complexes are offering two months of free rent with 12-month leases.

Why most filings don’t result in evictions

Court filings are just the first step of the eviction process and don’t represent the number of households forced out of their rental units. About one-third of the cases end up being dismissed without court intervention, and a portion of the remaining cases are resolved without eviction writs being issued.

“Throughout the process, a resident may pay, there may be an agreement or partial payment accepted. There are many ways in which the eviction filing is addressed. So, not every eviction filing results in a writ,” LeVinus said.

About 30% of all eviction cases filed in 2023 and 2024 led to writs, according to data provided to KTAR News by a Maricopa County Justice Courts spokesperson.

Can evictions be avoided?

LeVinus said about 96% of eviction filings are for nonpayment of rent, which is often the result of a temporary setback such as a medical emergency, car problem or job loss.

She said the AMA is working with lawmakers to help minimize evictions for tenants in those situations.

“I think it’s really important for policymakers in Arizona to really understand that if we can intervene early with rental assistance for those who have a short-term cash-flow issue, we can keep a lot of people in their homes,” she said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz McNair contributed to this report.

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