How much a landlord can charge, and which deductions are actually legal
This page covers how much a landlord may charge in Arizona, and which deductions from a residential deposit are lawful. It assumes the tenancy has ended and the question is what may be withheld.
It does not cover:
One and one-half months' rent (A.R.S. § 33-1321(A)). A tenant may voluntarily pay more in advance, but the landlord may not demand or receive more than 1.5 months' rent as security or prepaid rent.
Caps frequently carry exceptions — smaller landlords, furnished units, or pets are treated differently in most states. Read the provision itself rather than relying on the headline figure.
| Claimed deduction | Permitted in Arizona |
|---|---|
| Unpaid rent | Permitted, if substantiated |
| Charges specified in the signed lease agreement | Permitted, if substantiated |
| Damages the landlord suffered from the tenant's noncompliance with § 33-1341 | Permitted, if substantiated |
| Other charges authorized by the chapter | Permitted, if substantiated |
| Claimed deduction | Permitted in Arizona |
|---|---|
| Ordinary wear and tear | Not permitted |
| Any deduction not listed in the itemized statement | Not permitted |
| Deductions taken without providing the itemized list within 14 business days | Not permitted |
Whether a specific charge is lawful depends on the facts — how old the damage is, whether the lease addressed it, and whether the landlord can document the cost. A charge being in the "permitted" column does not make it automatically collectable.
In a dispute over deductions, the landlord must itemize and justify each deduction and show the damage exceeds ordinary wear and tear. The landlord must provide the itemized list within 14 business days; failure to do so triggers the 2x wrongfully-withheld remedy.
In Arizona the burden sits with the landlord. This matters strategically: if the burden is theirs, your task is to request the documentation rather than to prove the deduction wrong. A.R.S. § 33-1321(D), (E) ↗
A landlord who withholds in bad faith may be liable for 2x the portion wrongfully withheld.
Arizona awards damages equal to twice the amount wrongfully withheld when the landlord fails to comply with the itemization/return duty in subsection (D). The basis is the amount wrongfully withheld, NOT the full deposit. Unlike California/New York's full-deposit basis, this is a wrongfully-withheld basis.
A.R.S. § 33-1321(E) ↗No statutory penalty beyond returning the deposit.
No separate flat penalty or automatic attorney-fee provision under this section. Subsection (F) preserves other remedies under the chapter, but § 33-1321 itself provides only the 2x wrongfully-withheld recovery.
A.R.S. § 33-1321(F) ↗Arizona's deadline is unusually precise: 14 days EXCLUDING Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. That means the real calendar window is longer than two weeks, and a landlord who counts calendar days may under-deliver. Confirm the exact date using business days.
A.R.S. § 33-1321(D) ↗Once the itemized list is mailed, you have 60 days to dispute it. If you do not, the amount is deemed final and your further claims are waived. This is a hard deadline — but it only runs if the landlord actually mailed the itemized list.
A.R.S. § 33-1321(D) ↗A deposit claim under a written lease is an action for debt on a written contract, subject to a 6-year limitations period under A.R.S. § 12-548.
A.R.S. § 12-548 ↗““Cleaning and damage $400.””
Arizona requires an itemized list of all deductions within 14 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) after termination, delivery of possession, and my demand. A blanket figure is not an itemization. Provide the specific deductions and the amount due.
A.R.S. § 33-1321(D)
““I did not have to return anything — you never asked.””
The clock starts on my demand, which I made. On failure to comply with the itemization/return duty, Arizona allows recovery of twice the amount wrongfully withheld. Provide the itemized list and the amount due now.
A.R.S. § 33-1321(D), (E)
““You waited too long to dispute it.””
The 60-day waiver only runs from the date the itemized list was actually mailed to me. If no itemized list was mailed, the waiver never started, and the 2x wrongfully-withheld remedy remains available.
A.R.S. § 33-1321(D), (E)
Some widely circulated summaries of Arizona deposit law state things the statute does not say. We list the disagreements rather than picking a side silently.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Some generic summaries | 14 days |
| A.R.S. § 33-1321(D) | 14 days excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays (business days) |
What we follow: 14 business days
The statute expressly excludes weekends and legal holidays. Reporting "14 days" without the business-day qualifier understates the window.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Some multi-state checklists | 2x the deposit |
| A.R.S. § 33-1321(E) | 2x the amount wrongfully withheld |
What we follow: 2x the amount wrongfully withheld
The statute says "twice the amount wrongfully withheld," not twice the deposit. Cross-citing a full-deposit basis would overstate the recovery.
Every figure on this page comes from the official text, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked against the source.
| Statute | Last verified | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A.R.S. § 33-1321(D) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| A.R.S. § 33-1321(E) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| A.R.S. § 33-1321(F) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| A.R.S. § 33-1321(D), (E) | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
| A.R.S. § 12-548 | 2026-10-15 | official text ↗ |
Primary reference: A.R.S. § 33-1321. Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Amendments are recorded on the site changelog.
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The statute does not permit deductions for: ordinary wear and tear; any deduction not listed in the itemized statement; deductions taken without providing the itemized list within 14 business days.
The landlord. In a dispute over deductions, the landlord must itemize and justify each deduction and show the damage exceeds ordinary wear and tear. The landlord must provide the itemized list within 14 business days; failure to do so triggers the 2x wrongfully-withheld remedy.
One and one-half months' rent (A.R.S. § 33-1321(A)). A tenant may voluntarily pay more in advance, but the landlord may not demand or receive more than 1.5 months' rent as security or prepaid rent.
No. Ordinary wear and tear