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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in Arizona

In Arizona, after an abandonment the landlord must mail and post a notice, inventory any remaining property, hold it for 14 calendar days, and may then donate it to charity or sell it, mailing any excess proceeds to the tenant.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Arizona at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, mailed and posted notice
Notice of abandonment goes by certified mail and is posted on the door for five days; the tenant is also notified of where the property is stored.
Holding period
14 calendar days after retaking the unit
After the holding period
Donate to charity or sell
Sale proceeds go to rent and costs, with any excess mailed to the tenant. Very low value items may be destroyed.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Arizona

Does a landlord in Arizona have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, mailed and posted notice. Written notice required in Arizona: yes, mailed and posted notice. Notice of abandonment goes by certified mail and is posted on the door for five days; the tenant is also notified of where the property is stored.

How long must a landlord in Arizona keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in Arizona: 14 calendar days after retaking the unit.

What can a landlord in Arizona do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in Arizona: Donate to charity or sell. Sale proceeds go to rent and costs, with any excess mailed to the tenant. Very low value items may be destroyed.

Where do the Arizona tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from Ariz. Rev. Stat. 33-1370. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

If the tenant returns the keys and leaves property behind, the landlord may remove and dispose of it immediately unless otherwise agreed in writing.

The tenant may get clothing, tools of a trade and identification or financial documents without first paying storage costs.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.