PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Even though average rents in the Phoenix area have slipped slightly since last year, eviction filings in Maricopa County remain near record levels, officials say.<\/p>\n
According to Maricopa County Justice Courts, 84,000 evictions have been filed for so far in 2025. That\u2019s just 4% less than the record of 87,310 filings, set in 2024. <\/p>\n
Maricopa County Justice Courts officials say job instability and unemployment are driving most eviction cases this year. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019m hearing a lot is that they\u2019ve just lost their job,\u201d Maricopa County Judge Leonore Driggs said. \u201cSometimes there\u2019s been a glitch in the payment, or something\u2019s happened at the bank, but it\u2019s generally that they\u2019re not employed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite an increase in rental supply that has helped push rents down, the Arizona Multihousing Association<\/a> said 96% of landlord-tenant cases that go through justice courts are for nonpayment of rent. The association\u2019s president, Courtney LeVinus, echoed concerns about housing affordability. <\/p>\n \u201cWe need more affordable housing in Arizona,\u201d LeVinus said. \u201cSo that is why Arizona Multihousing Association is very focused on trying to identify rental assistance. We continue to work with our legislature.\u201d<\/p>\n The organization offers options to help renters<\/a> avoid eviction.<\/p>\n With so many residents struggling to pay rent, officials with both the courts and housing groups say a number of eviction-prevention resources are underused. <\/p>\n Officials urged renters facing trouble to seek help early, citing assistance programs and court-based diversion services<\/a> as potential options.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n