Metro Phoenix evictions climb again, judgments against renters highest since Great Recession
Catherine Reagor
Metro Phoenix eviction filings climbed again in September as the average judgment against renters hit a new record.
Landlords filed to evict 6,685 renter households last month, according to Maricopa County Justice Courts. That’s up from 6,574 in August and is the highest monthly tally since 2008.
The average judgment against Phoenix-area tenants — what their landlord is owed per the eviction filing — reached a record $3,337.50 in September.
For 2021, the average judgment was $3,259. In 2008, it was $1,750.58
The Phoenix area led the nation in rent increases most of last year. But as evictions climb, rents are leveling out in the Valley.
Metro Phoenix rents dipped last month and flattened out over the past six months, according to Apartment List. Now, the region has the lowest rent increases of any major metro area.
Arizona Multifamily Association said that some of the increase in eviction filings is because the state’s population has grown since 2008.
The current pace of metro Phoenix evictions is nearly triple what it was during the first year of the pandemic.
Eviction filings fell in 2020 and most of 2021 due to moratoriums for renters who could show COVID-19 affected their health or income. The final moratorium ended in August 2021, and Maricopa County evictions have been trending up since then.
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Reach the reporter at catherine.reagor@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8040. Follow her on Twitter @CatherineReagor.