Arizona Month-to-Month Lease: 30 Days' Notice, 10 for Weekly

By Steve Levine · Updated November 3, 2026

Short answer: An Arizona month to month lease can be ended by you or your landlord with written notice given at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice, under A.R.S. § 33-1375(B). A week-to-week tenancy takes 10 days. Stay past the end date without permission, and a willful, bad-faith holdover can cost you two months’ rent or twice the landlord’s actual damages, whichever is greater.

Arizona’s statute has two quirks worth knowing before you count days. First, the week-to-week default applies only to “roomers,” so a weekly payer in a full apartment can still be month-to-month. Second, a landlord’s consent to let you stay after a lease ends has to be in writing to create a new periodic tenancy.

Arizona Month to Month Lease Quick Reference

Rule	Arizona	Statute
Default with no fixed term	Month-to-month, except a roomer paying weekly is week-to-week	A.R.S. § 33-1314(D)
Notice to end month-to-month	Written, at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named	A.R.S. § 33-1375(B)
Notice to end week-to-week	Written, at least 10 days before the termination date named	A.R.S. § 33-1375(A)
Longer notice for long tenancies	None in the statute	A.R.S. § 33-1375
Certified-mail notice received	On actual receipt or 5 days after mailing, whichever is first	A.R.S. § 33-1313(B)
Bad-faith holdover	Greater of up to 2 months’ rent or twice actual damages	A.R.S. § 33-1375(C)
Local rent control	Preempted by the state for private housing	A.R.S. § 33-1329

The 30-Day Rule for an Arizona Month to Month Lease

Under A.R.S. § 33-1375(B), the landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least thirty days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice. The termination date has to land on a rental date, which for most Arizona renters is the 1st.

The statute does not lengthen the notice for long-time tenants, and the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act has no general just-cause requirement for ending a periodic tenancy. A landlord can decline to continue a monthly tenancy without giving a reason, provided the move is not retaliation, which is discussed below.

Getting the notice delivered

Arizona’s landlord-tenant act spells out exactly when a mailed notice counts. Under A.R.S. § 33-1313(B), a tenant receives notice when it is delivered in hand or mailed by registered or certified mail to the address the tenant designated, or otherwise to the last known residence. A landlord receives notice when it is handed over or sent by registered or certified mail to the place of business where the rental agreement was made, any address the landlord held out for notices, or the designated agent.

When notice goes by registered or certified mail, the recipient is deemed to receive it on the date it actually arrives or five days after mailing, whichever comes first. If you mail your 30-day notice, add those five days to your count, or hand-deliver it and keep a dated copy.

How the Tenancy Starts

An Arizona monthly tenancy usually exists because nobody fixed an end date. A.R.S. § 33-1314(D) says that unless the rental agreement fixes a definite term, the tenancy is week-to-week for a roomer who pays weekly rent and month-to-month in all other cases.

A “roomer,” under A.R.S. § 33-1310, occupies a unit lacking a major bathroom or kitchen facility, in a building where those facilities are shared with other units. So a renter with a private kitchen and bath who pays every Friday is still month-to-month by default under the statute, which matters for how much notice applies.

Written paperwork is not required. Section 33-1310 defines a rental agreement as all agreements, written, oral or implied by law. If you and the owner never agreed on a price, § 33-1314(B) sets rent at the fair rental value, and § 33-1314(C) makes monthly rent due at the start of each month unless you agreed otherwise.

Staying on after a lease ends

Here Arizona departs from the uniform act’s usual wording. Under A.R.S. § 33-1375(C), if the landlord consents in writing to your continued occupancy, § 33-1314(D) applies and you become a periodic tenant. Without written consent, you risk being treated as a holdover. If your lease is ending and the landlord says you can stay month-to-month, ask for that in an email or letter.

A Tempe Example With Real Dates

Elena rents a two-bedroom in Tempe for $1,700 a month. Her one-year lease ended in June, and her landlord emailed that she could stay month-to-month. That email is written consent under § 33-1375(C), so she is now a month-to-month tenant with rent due on the 1st.

She plans to move on September 30, which means ending the tenancy on the October 1 rental date. Thirty days before October 1 is September 1.
If she hands her landlord a written notice on August 29 naming October 1, she has complied with § 33-1375(B).
If she sends it by certified mail on August 29 and it arrives September 2, § 33-1313(B) treats it as received on September 2, the earlier of actual receipt or five days after mailing. That is less than 30 days before October 1, so the earliest valid end date becomes November 1.
If Elena stayed past a valid end date without consent and a court found the holdover willful and in bad faith, § 33-1375(C) would allow the greater of up to $3,400 (two months’ rent) or twice the landlord’s actual damages.

To run your own dates, use the notice deadline calculator.

Week-to-Week Tenancies Take 10 Days

For a week-to-week tenancy, A.R.S. § 33-1375(A) requires written notice at least ten days before the termination date in the notice. That is longer than the seven days many states use. Remember the § 33-1314(D) limit: the weekly default applies to roomers, though a written agreement can set up a weekly tenancy for anyone.

Raising Rent or Changing Terms

The Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act contains no section requiring a specific notice before a rent increase on an ordinary apartment or house, and no cap on the size of an increase. Under A.R.S. § 33-1314(A), rent and other terms are for the parties to agree on. In practice, a landlord who wants new terms on a monthly tenancy must reach a new agreement or end the tenancy with a proper 30-day notice and offer a fresh one.

Cities cannot fill the gap. A.R.S. § 33-1329 declares rent control a matter of statewide concern and bars cities and towns, including charter cities, from controlling rents on private residential property. The ban does not apply to housing owned, financed, insured or subsidized by a state agency or a city or town.

Retaliation is off limits. A.R.S. § 33-1381(A) bars a landlord from raising rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an eviction after you complain to a code agency about a health or safety violation, complain to the landlord about a § 33-1324 maintenance duty, or join a tenants’ union. Under § 33-1381(B), a complaint made within six months before the landlord’s act creates a presumption of retaliation, but not if you complained after receiving a termination notice. The landlord retaliation guide covers how that presumption works in court.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does mailing my Arizona notice by certified mail give me extra time?

It can cost you time. Under A.R.S. § 33-1313(B), certified mail counts as received on actual delivery or five days after mailing, whichever is first. Mail it at least 35 days before your rental date, or deliver it by hand.

I pay rent weekly. Do I get only 10 days’ notice?

Not necessarily. A.R.S. § 33-1314(D) makes a tenancy week-to-week by default only for a roomer who pays weekly, meaning someone who shares a kitchen or bathroom with other units. A weekly payer in a self-contained unit without a fixed term is month-to-month unless the agreement sets a weekly term.

Can a Phoenix or Tucson ordinance cap my rent increase?

No. A.R.S. § 33-1329 preempts local rent control on private residential housing statewide. The exception covers property owned, financed, insured or subsidized by a state agency or by a city or town.

My landlord verbally said I could stay after my lease. Am I month-to-month?

A.R.S. § 33-1375(C) applies the periodic-tenancy rule when the landlord consents in writing. A verbal OK may not be enough, so get the agreement in a text, email or letter as soon as possible.

What can a landlord collect if I overstay by a few days?

The extra amount in § 33-1375(C) applies only to a holdover that is willful and not in good faith, and it is the greater of up to two months’ rent or twice actual damages. A court decides that in an eviction case.

Next Steps for Arizona Renters

Pull out your lease or the message that put you on a monthly basis, confirm your rental date, and deliver written notice at least 30 days before it, adding five days if you use certified mail. Check how the Arizona security deposit law handles your refund once you return the keys, and see month-to-month vs. fixed-term leases if you are weighing a renewal. Rules in other states are on the month-to-month lease laws by state hub.

This page explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice. For free help, try AZLawHelp.org or LSC’s get legal help directory.

Sources

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