Maricopa County projected to break record of more than 83,000 eviction filings in 2024
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - Stunning new numbers out of Maricopa County say it is on pace to set a new record for eviction filings in 2024, most likely topping 83,000 by the end of the year.
The county courts received just over 6,500 eviction cases in November.
That’s typical for this time of year, but overall the eviction numbers are only getting worse.
In Maricopa County, nearly 80,000 eviction cases have been filed so far this year. It is on pace to break the record set in 2005 at just over 83,000.
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Eviction cases in Maricopa County on pace to break record set in 2005
Maricopa County set a record for the most evictions through the first three-quarters of a calendar year with 65,651 total cases so far this year.
Arizona has some of the strictest and quickest eviction laws in the nation.
You could theoretically be out of your home in a matter of 18 short days.
Near the old and homeless encampment called The Zone, it isn’t hard to find someone who’s been evicted.
"I was staying in an apartment for two years, never had any problems. I was taking my mother there. Unfortunately, she died, and I was getting help from one of the agencies for our renter. They were in contact with the management all the time and two days before the room was due, it was gonna be caught up for four months ahead, and he decided not to accept it. To the streets with the worst time of my life was to happen," said one man who asked us not to show his face.
Judge Anna Huberman has to order evictions from the bench almost every day, and she's done it for more than a dozen years.
"It’s been more and more that I’ve been finding that we are evicting people within the same month they miss their first payment," she says.
There is one fairly new thing she’s noticing: people are being evicted after shorter stays, often after an introductory offer expires at a new complex.
"Lately it’s been kind of common that I’ve seen several cases where the tenants are barely there for 23 months, and then they’re in court with an eviction. So these are brand-new leases, and it’s just been a little surprising," said Huberman.
The judge understands businesses need to make money, and it’s her job to follow the law, but it still breaks her heart to see someone lose their home.
"Just last week I had someone tell me that she had to quit her job because of a disability. Her disability hasn't yet kicked in, and now we’re evicting someone who can’t work and has nowhere to go," she said.
The Arizona Multihousing Association says typically only 30% of filings result in an actual eviction.
The judge's best advice: work with the landlord before things get to court.