People hunting for accommodation in Phoenix have the upper hand at the moment. Builders put up tens of thousands of new apartments across the Valley in a short space of time, and developers and landlords are still working through that wave of supply.
Vacancy is well above the historical norm, and rents are lower than they were a year ago in Phoenix, let alone what you would pay in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, or San Francisco. Long-standing residents are quick to push back on the ‘cheap Phoenix’ label, and they have a point. Rents are far higher than they were a decade ago, and local wages have not kept up, so you are only getting a bargain by coastal standards.
Areas and suburbs in Phoenix
Think about the commute first when you compare the neighbourhoods in areas and suburbs in Phoenix, because the city is enormous and most people drive. Wherever you end up, the outdoors will be close. The city has over 180 parks and eight municipal golf courses. It also conserves more than 41,000 acres (16,600ha) of desert park and mountain preserve, plus over 200 miles (320km) of trails.
Those who want to cut the commute should consider Downtown Phoenix and Alhambra. Both are well served by light rail and the freeway network, and both are close to the city’s biggest employers. Young professionals, students, small families, and remote workers who want a walkable base all gravitate here, and its restaurant scene is the best in the city.
Families with deeper pockets look to Paradise Valley. Note that it is a separate incorporated town with its own council, so you will deal with a different authority for services and permits. The public schools are among the best in the state, and the homes are large. The Phoenix Mountains are on the doorstep.
Encanto Village is small and a favourite with families who want green space within walking distance. Encanto Park and the neighbouring amusement park are the draw. Valley Metro runs the B Line light rail straight down Central Avenue here, so you can reach downtown without a car. Valley Metro split the network into two lines in 2025. The A Line is the east-west route, and the B Line is the north-south one. Valley Metro extended the B Line as far south as Baseline Road.
Read more about the Best (and Worst) Neighbourhoods in Phoenix.
Types of accommodation in Phoenix
Newcomers who have never set foot in the city picture the types of accommodation in Phoenix as rows of cookie-cutter houses and little else. Spend an afternoon on the property portals, and you will drop that idea fast. The Valley of the Sun has Spanish Colonial Revival, mid-century modern, ranch, and adobe-inspired stock, and developers have piled glassy downtown towers on top of all that.
Apartments
Apartments in Phoenix are what you will find near downtown, and developers have concentrated nearly all the new supply there. Most are recent and sleek. Developers built them for the rental market. You will pay more for a central apartment than for comparable space further out, although landlords have softened that difference to fill the new blocks. Ask about concessions before you sign, because this is the corner of the market where landlords are working hardest to fill units. Single professionals and couples new to Phoenix tend to start here.
Condos
Condos are the other common option, mostly near the city centre, although you will find pockets further out. They are much like apartments and are available in a range of sizes. The difference is the shared facilities: a condo complex will usually have a laundry, a fitness centre, a pool, and gardens. Newcomers often like the setup because it’s easy to meet neighbours. Check the homeowners’ association rules before you commit, though. HOAs are near universal in the Valley. They charge monthly dues, and they can dictate everything from pets to what you park on the drive.
Historic bungalows
Historic bungalows are concentrated in the older, arty districts of Phoenix: Roosevelt, Willo, Coronado, and Encanto Palmcroft. Locals also call them Craftsman homes. Expect wood and stone, deep porches, built-in cabinetry, and proper fireplaces. These houses suit people who want the character of the Arts District and can live with the quirks of a century-old building. One of those quirks is insulation – it’s possible to spend a small fortune cooling a poorly insulated period bungalow in July, so ask to see a summer electricity bill before you sign anything.
Family homes
You’ll get far more choice of family homes in Phoenix once you leave the centre. Buyers come for the space and because prices are still well below California and the Northeast, even after a decade of steep rises. You can find Colonial Revival, Tuscan-style villas, ranch houses, and mid-century modern within a few streets of one another. Most family homes have a pool, which is a godsend on a scorching summer afternoon.
Finding accommodation in Phoenix
It’s best to start finding accommodation in Phoenix before you have even booked a flight. Spend a few evenings on the property portals, and you will learn what your budget can actually buy, which suburbs fit the way you want to live, how long landlords are waiting to fill a listing, and what incentives they are dangling to shift them.
Once you have a shortlist of neighbourhoods, you can approach real estate agents who work those specific patches. They know the local stock and what is about to come up. They will often be able to show you properties before the listings go public. In Phoenix, the landlord normally pays the leasing commission, so an agent generally costs a tenant nothing. Confirm that with anyone you engage, because a renter who hires their own agent may be asked to cover the fee.
A relocation company will act on your behalf if your employer provides one. They assess your preferences and shortlist properties for you to view. Newcomer groups on social media are also worth joining for listings that never make it to an agent.
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Renting accommodation in Phoenix
Renting accommodation in Phoenix is a tenant’s game at the moment, and you should use that. Landlords built ahead of demand and are now competing to fill units, so negotiate on the rent, the free weeks, the pet fee, and the length of the term. Tenants still snap up property in the sought-after pockets, usually the ones with strong public schools or a short hop to downtown, so be ready to act there. Everywhere else, take your time.
One local regulation is important to know. The city requires landlords to keep habitable rooms at or below 82°F (28°C) when air conditioning is installed, or 86°F (30°C) when an evaporative cooler is installed. It's a habitability breach to have a broken air conditioner in July, so get the landlord’s out-of-hours repair number in writing before you sign, and ask how old the unit is.
Making an application
You will find making an application in Phoenix much like making one anywhere else in the US. You submit through the agent or straight to the landlord, and the landlord then runs reference and credit checks.
Landlords generally want to see a strong credit score and a household income of at least three times the rent. Expats may hit a wall here – no US credit file means no credit score. Get a Social Security number and a US bank account started early. In lieu of a long-standing credit score, you could offer an employment contract, a letter from your employer, several months of bank statements, and a larger deposit if the landlord will take one.
Leases
A standard lease in Phoenix is 12 months long, and it’s either renewed at the end of the term or you move on. It may be possible to negotiate a shorter term or a month-to-month arrangement, although you usually pay a premium for the flexibility. Renewal used to mean an automatic rent increase, but you can push back in a soft market, and most landlords will do a deal to keep a good tenant.
As of 2025, Arizona cities can no longer charge the rental tax (a transaction privilege tax) on long-term residential leases. If you see a rental tax line on a lease or a rent statement for a stay of 30 days or more, query it.
Deposits and fees
Under Arizona law, a landlord cannot ask for a refundable security deposit of more than one-and-a-half times the monthly rent. Your landlord does not have to hold it in an interest-bearing account or pay you interest on it. The landlord has to state the purpose of any non-refundable fee in writing, and anything not labelled non-refundable is refundable by default.
At move-in, the landlord should give you a signed copy of the lease, a form for logging existing damage, and a written notice that you may attend the move-out inspection. Photograph every room on the day you get the keys, date the images, and send the landlord a copy.
Once you hand back the keys, the landlord has 14 business days to return the deposit along with an itemised list of any deductions. If the landlord misses that deadline, you can sue for twice the amount wrongfully withheld. Landlords can deduct for damage, but ordinary wear and tear is excluded.
Terminating the lease
Terminating the lease is straightforward if you see the term out. A fixed-term lease ends on the date printed on it, and Arizona does not require you to give statutory notice, although plenty of leases add their own non-renewal clause, so read yours carefully. On a month-to-month arrangement, either side gives 30 days’ written notice before the next rent day.
Leaving early is the expensive route. You are liable for the rent until the property can be relet, although your landlord has to make reasonable efforts to find a new tenant and cannot simply leave it empty at your expense. Some leases include a buy-out clause, and that is usually the cleanest exit if you can negotiate one.
There are two exceptions for ending the lease. Active duty military personnel with deployment or change of station orders can terminate under federal law, and victims of domestic violence or sexual assault can terminate under Arizona law with the required documentation.
Renting Accommodation in the USA
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Utilities in Phoenix
Utilities in Phoenix are mostly the tenant’s responsibility, and your lease should specify which ones you cover. Electricity is nearly always the tenant’s, and it will likely be higher than new arrivals could have estimated. You will need to run air conditioning from roughly May to October, and a summer bill can be several times that of a winter one.
The city bills water, sewerage, and rubbish collection together on one City services account. That account sometimes belongs to the landlord and sometimes to the tenant. The internet and TV are always yours to arrange as the tenant.
Electricity
Two companies supply electricity in Phoenix, and you won’t get a choice between them. Arizona Public Service (APS) covers most of the city, including downtown and the northern and western suburbs. Salt River Project (SRP) covers south Phoenix and much of the East Valley. Look up your address on both service area maps before you assume.
You can set up or transfer service on your supplier’s website. You will need your address, ID, billing details, the date you want service to start, and a deposit if you have no payment history with them. Submit the request at least three days before your move-in date, and photograph the meter on the day you take the keys so you are not billed for someone else’s air conditioning.
Gas
Southwest Gas is the gas supplier in Phoenix, although plenty of homes here have no gas at all. It’s common for accommodation in Phoenix to be all-electric, so check what your property actually uses. If it does have gas, you can set up service online or by phone. You will need ID, your address, billing details, and your move-in date, much as with electricity.
Water
The city supplies water in Phoenix, and bills for water, sewerage, and rubbish collection are all combined on a single City services account. You can set it up through the Phoenix Water Services customer portal. Tenants have to attach a completed lease of at least six months that gives the landlord’s name and address. The city will not accept a month-to-month agreement, in which case either the landlord will fold the water into the rent, or they’ll bill their tenant separately.
Bins and recycling
Bins and recycling in Phoenix are handled by the Public Works Department, which collects rubbish and recycling weekly, on the same day, in separate lorries. Some addresses are collected at the kerb, others from the alley behind the house. Put both the black bin and the blue bin out before 5.30am on collection day.
A tan Green Organics bin is available on subscription in eligible areas, and it takes garden waste only: grass, branches, cactus, and untreated wood. Food scraps do not go in it, which surprises people who arrive from cities with full food waste collection. The city also runs eco stations. These are large roll-off skips in parks and near apartment blocks, where you can drop off recycling outside your collection day. Household hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, electronics, and batteries) is collected from your door by appointment, and you get four bulk collections a year for furniture and white goods.