House Engrossed Senate Bill

 

 

 

State of Arizona

Senate

Fiftieth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2012

 

 

SENATE BILL 1062

 

 

 

AN ACT

 

amending sections 33-1322 and 33‑1432, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to Rental agreements.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 



Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Section 33-1322, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE33-1322.  Disclosure and tender of written rental agreement

A.  The landlord or any person authorized to enter into a rental agreement on his behalf shall disclose to the tenant in writing at or before the commencement of the tenancy the name and address of each of the following:

1.  The person authorized to manage the premises.

2.  An owner of the premises or a person authorized to act for and on behalf of the owner for the purpose of service of process and for the purpose of receiving and receipting for notices and demands.

B.  At or before the commencement of the tenancy, the landlord shall inform the tenant in writing that the Arizona residential landlord and tenant act is available on the Arizona secretary of state's department of housing's website.

C.  The information required to be furnished by this section shall be kept current and refurnished to a tenant upon the tenant's request.  This section extends to and is enforceable against any successor landlord, owner or manager.

D.  A person who fails to comply with subsections A, B and C becomes an agent of each person who is a landlord for the following purposes:

1.  Service of process and receiving and receipting for notices and demands.

2.  Performing the obligations of the landlord under this chapter and under the rental agreement and expending or making available for the purpose all rent collected from the premises.

E.  If there is a written rental agreement, the landlord must tender and deliver a signed copy of the rental agreement to the tenant and the tenant must sign and deliver to the landlord one fully executed copy of such rental agreement within a reasonable time after the agreement is executed.  A written rental agreement shall have all blank spaces completed.  Noncompliance with this subsection shall be deemed a material noncompliance by the landlord or the tenant, as the case may be, of the rental agreement.END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.  Section 33-1432, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE33-1432.  Disclosure of written rental agreement

A.  The landlord or any person authorized to enter into a rental agreement on the landlord's behalf shall disclose to the tenant in writing before entering into the rental agreement each of the following:

1.  The name and address of the person authorized to manage the premises.

2.  The name and address of the owner of the premises.

3.  If applicable, the name and address of a person authorized to act for and on behalf of the owner for the purpose of service of process and for the purpose of receiving and receipting for notices and demands.

4.  For a prospective tenant on an initial rental agreement, a written statement that shows the rent increases for the three full calendar years immediately preceding the prospective initial rental agreement date.  This information shall be for basic space rental only and does not apply to other fees such as late charges, guest fees and utility charges.  The landlord may disclose the rent history with calculations that fairly describe the rent history and that are made in any manner that reasonably informs the prospective tenant of the history of basic space rent in the mobile home park during that period.  The disclosure calculation may be made in January of each year by adding the dollar amounts or percentage amounts for aggregate rental increases that became effective in the prior calendar year for every space in the park and dividing that number by the total number of occupied revenue spaces for which rent was or could have been increased.  This average amount of rental increase or average percentage of rental increase shall be posted at the rental office for three years.  Disclosure calculations made pursuant to this section shall be made to the best of the landlord's ability.

B.  The information required to be furnished by this section shall be kept current and refurnished to the tenant upon the tenant's request except that any successor landlord shall not be required to provide average rent disclosures relating to previous landlords.

C.  When there is a new owner or operator this section extends to and is enforceable  against any successor landlord, owner or manager.

D.  A person who fails to comply with subsection A, paragraph 1, 2 or 3 or subsection B becomes an agent of each person who is a landlord for the following purposes:

1.  Service of process and receiving and receipting for notices and demands.

2.  Performing the obligations of the landlord under this chapter and under the rental agreement and expending or making available for the purpose all rent collected from the premises.

E.  The landlord or any person authorized to enter into a rental agreement on the landlord's behalf shall post in a conspicuous place a copy of the current utility rates unless the tenant is charged directly by the utility company.

F.  Each tenant shall be notified, in writing, of any rent increase at least ninety days prior to the increase by first class or certified mail or by personal delivery.  The mobile home parks hearing officer has jurisdiction to determine whether notices have been served properly and in a timely manner.

G.  Before entering into a rental agreement, the landlord or any person authorized to enter into the rental agreement shall provide to the prospective tenant a concise written summary of the Arizona mobile home parks residential landlord and tenant act that is approved by the director of the department of fire, building and life safety annually by November 1 and that includes any legislative changes made in the preceding year.  The director of the department of fire, building and life safety shall post the approved summary on the department's web site.  The landlord shall provide the summary to the tenant at no cost to the tenant.  The summary shall include information regarding where a complete copy of the act may be obtained or reviewed, including listing the secretary of state's Arizona department of housing's web site.  This subsection does not apply to renewal of rental agreements.  The secretary of state Arizona department of housing shall post the act on the secretary of state's Arizona department of housing's web site.

H.  The landlord shall make available to all tenants a concise written summary of the Arizona mobile home parks residential landlord and tenant act that is approved by the director of the department of fire, building and life safety annually by November 1 and that includes any legislative changes made in the preceding year.  The summary shall include information regarding where a complete copy of the act may be obtained or reviewed, including listing the secretary of state's Arizona department of housing's web site.  The director of the department of fire, building and life safety shall post the approved summary on the department's web site.  The landlord shall provide the summary at no cost to the tenants. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3.  Effective date

Sections 33-1322 and 33-1432, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, are effective from and after December 31, 2012.