Phoenix Rental Assistance

Rent first. Buy next.

If you plan to rent for a year or less and then purchase a home, we recommend a match with an experienced real estate professional from our team for a real estate area tour and continuous education of our housing market. Please contact Laurie Becker to be matched with a real estate professional in the Phoenix area.

What should I do?

If you’re not quite sure, you may find the below two articles of interest:

Very Important for a Potential Renter to read first to save time later:

Helpful Hints

A rental search in Arizona can be very different from one in some other states.
There is no one, central inventory and no one person to show properties.
One needs to be proactive and self-directed to use the information provided to search, scheduling appointments directly with the property managers and leasing agents for each.
Your rental specifics will be shared with our leasing partners (professional, experienced, knowledgeable) when introducing you so they may assess their inventories and you can make direct contact and stay in touch.
Frequently visit the websites in our Phoenix Rental Resources directory as well as Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Click on: Property Search. Click on Rental. Click on down the page to enter rental needs.
If this is not going to be your permanent residence, you may be able to be more flexible with what you need.
Each apartment community, property manager and landlord has requirements for leasing. Please expect the following:
1. Credit check.
2. Verifiable income. Landlords often expect monthly income to be 2½ to 3 times monthly rent.
3. Application fee. This could be anywhere from $35-$100.
4. Security deposit. These can range from $150 to one month’s rent, required upon move-in with the first (and sometimes last) month’s rent. Deposits for apartment communities and houses vary greatly.
5. Cleaning & Administrative Fees are usually non-refundable and range from $150 to $500.
6. Pets. It is most likely that you will have to pay a Pet Fee ($150-$500) and Pet Deposit ($150-$500), per pet. Monthly pet rent can range from $15 to $40 per month. Ask at the property about any restrictions on certain dog breeds. There may be a limit on the number or size of pets allowed.
Note: Please be aware that some rental properties have gone into foreclosure. It is recommended that you exercise caution when giving deposits to individuals.
Leasing agents typically only have time to show properties to those ready to rent now.
A rental listed while on your first visit to our city may not be available once you are ready to lease, so plan to choose your rental about four to six weeks before needed.
Most property managers are able to “hold” a rental for only a short period of time when a deposit is paid.
Peak season for furnished rental occupancy occurs November through April, with January through March especially busy. Rental rates can reflect the demand for properties during this time. Off-season rates typically begin in April or May and extend through November or December.
Peak season for unfurnished rental occupancy occurs April through July, with very limited rent rate differential. This is when the largest inventory of available rentals is available, and might be considered when planning a move to Phoenix.
The large majority rent in person — not sight unseen.
Describe your leasing parameters as specifically as you can, but allow for some flexibility.
Please consider the locations of schools of interest in relationship to where you may rent. While Open Enrollment allows one to attend a school outside one’s neighborhood school’s boundaries, be aware of deadlines to apply. School start times vary, so check school calendars.