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By Caitlin Sievers || Arizona Mirror JANUARY 18, 2023
Democratic lawmakers in the Arizona House of Representatives are looking to pass a suite of housing bills that aim to help renters weather the ongoing housing crisis, but their proposals have detractors in the state’s powerful landlord lobby.
Four bills proposed by Rep. Analisa Ortiz and another by Rep. Judy Schwiebert would get rid of Arizona’s statewide ban on rent control by cities and counties, give more power to tenants, prevent landlords from discriminating against people who receive housing assistance and implement a cap on rental increases across the state.
Rent increases in Arizona have been “out of control,” Ortiz told the Arizona Mirror, including in her Legislative District 24, which includes Maryvale and South Glendale.
“We need solutions urgently,” Ortiz said.
Late last summer, a national report showed that the median rental price in Phoenix had increased 46% over the previous year. At that time, the median rental price in Phoenix was $2,350, increasing more than $700 over the preceding year. And the increase was a whopping 124% in Tucson, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
Although rents in the state had started dropping slightly by late last year, homelessness in Arizona, and specifically in the metro Phoenix area, is still on the rise as housing remains unaffordable for many.
Homelessness in Arizona increased by 21% from 2020 to 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
