Phoenix / Inspection guide

Inspecting a Phoenix rental before and after you sign

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

In Phoenix, a good inspection starts with the cooling system and works outward. Heat, sun and dust are hard on homes, and a problem that seems minor in spring can become urgent by June. This guide explains what Arizona and Phoenix law require, what to check in each room and how to ask for repairs, with a source for every rule.

What the law requires

Arizona requires every landlord to comply with building codes that materially affect health and safety, to make all repairs needed to keep the home fit and habitable, and to keep electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating and air conditioning facilities and appliances it supplies in good and safe working order. The landlord must also supply reasonable heat and reasonable air conditioning or cooling where such units are installed and offered, when seasonal weather requires it.^[1]

The City of Phoenix adds a specific standard. In rental units with installed cooling, refrigerated air must be able to cool every habitable room, bathroom and toilet room to 82 degrees, and evaporative coolers to 86 degrees. Temperature is measured three feet above the floor in the center of the room, and the cooling must come from permanently installed equipment.^[2]

Test the cooling the way the city measures it

Because the city's standard is specific, you can check it yourself. On a warm day, run the air conditioning for a while and place a thermometer about three feet above the floor in the middle of each room, including bedrooms, bathrooms and any room at the end of a long duct run.^[2] Note the readings, the time and the outdoor temperature. Listen for rattling or grinding, look at the thermostat to see whether it is holding its setting, and check the filter to see whether it has been changed recently.

Ask whether the home has refrigerated air or an evaporative cooler, how old the system is, when it was last serviced, who changes filters and who pays for repairs. Ask how quickly the landlord responds to a cooling failure in summer, and whether there is an after hours number. A home that cannot reach the city's limits in May is unlikely to keep up in July.

Sun, windows and doors

Look at which way the main windows face. West facing rooms take the full force of the afternoon sun and can be much harder to cool. Check whether windows have blinds or shades, whether the glass is single or double pane, and whether any window coverings or sun screens are provided. Open and close every window and door, check that each one locks, and look for gaps around frames where hot air and dust can enter. Worn weather stripping around doors lets in dust during storms and lets cool air escape.

Look at the attic access or ask about insulation if the home is a house or top floor unit. Poor insulation under a flat or tile roof can make upstairs rooms far hotter than the rest of the home, and it drives up the electric bill every summer. Even a quick question about when the insulation was last updated can tell you a lot about how the home will feel in August.

Kitchen and bathrooms

Turn on every burner and the oven, check that the refrigerator and freezer are cold, and run the dishwasher and garbage disposal briefly if there are any. Appliances the landlord supplies must be kept in good and safe working order.^[1] Run the hot and cold taps and the shower, note how long the water takes to get hot, flush each toilet and look under every sink for leaks or stains. Hard water is common in the Valley, so look at faucets and shower heads for heavy mineral buildup, which can signal plumbing that has not been maintained.

Water heater, plumbing and leaks

Ask where the water heater is, how old it is and whether it has had problems. Look for rust, water on the floor around it or a pan that holds water. Check ceilings below bathrooms and around the air conditioning closet for stains, since condensation lines can back up and leak. A slow leak can cause damage and mold that you do not want to be blamed for at move out, so note any stains on the move in form.^[3]

Pests

Look for signs of pests in cabinets, closets and around doors, including droppings, dead insects and gaps where pipes enter walls. Desert homes can attract scorpions, crickets and other insects, particularly near gaps at doors and windows. Ask whether the landlord provides regular pest control, how often and at what cost, and get the answer in writing.

Safety equipment

Press the test button on every smoke alarm and note any that do not sound. Ask where the water shut off valve and electrical panel are. If the home has a pool, check the fence and gate, and ask who maintains the pool and pays for its chemicals and equipment. In buildings with shared entrances, check that entry doors close and lock and that walkways and parking areas are lit at night.

Outside and common areas

Walk the parking area, walkways, laundry room and trash area. Look at the roof from the ground for damaged or missing tiles or shingles, and at the outside walls for cracks. Notice whether the home has covered parking, which keeps a car cooler and protects it from sun damage. During monsoon season, heavy storms can bring wind, dust and sudden flooding, so look for drainage problems and ask whether the area near the home floods during storms.

If the home has an evaporative cooler

Some older Phoenix homes are cooled by evaporative coolers rather than refrigerated air. The city's limit for evaporative coolers is 86 degrees rather than 82.^[2] These systems need regular maintenance, including pads, pumps and water lines, and they are less effective when the air is humid. Ask who maintains the cooler, how often the pads are changed, and whether the home also has refrigerated air for the humid weeks of late summer. Look on the roof or at the unit for rust, leaks and mineral buildup, and check inside for water stains near the vents.

Questions to ask the landlord

How old is the cooling system, and when was it last serviced?
How quickly are cooling failures repaired in summer, and is there an after hours number?
What were the electric bills for the home last July and August?
Has the home had leaks, pest problems or roof repairs in the past year?
Who pays for pest control, pool service and yard care?
Does the area around the home flood during monsoon storms?

Write down the answers and the name of the person who gave them. Clear answers now make it far easier to hold a landlord to its word later.

Record everything on the move in form

Arizona requires the landlord to give you a move in form for listing existing damage, and to tell you in writing that you may be present at the move out inspection.^[3] Use the form carefully. Describe each problem specifically, with its location and size, and attach photographs. Keep a copy, and email it to the manager so there is a dated record. The form is your best protection against being charged at move out for damage that was already there.

How to request a repair

Make every repair request in writing and keep a copy, even if you also call. Send it to the manager or owner at the address disclosed to you^[4], describe the problem, where it is and when it started, and attach photographs. A repair request counts as permission for the landlord to enter to make that repair; otherwise, the landlord must give two days' notice.^[5]

If the landlord does not act, Arizona law gives you options. For a breach that materially affects health and safety, you may give written notice that the lease will end in not less than five days if the breach is not fixed within five days; for other material problems, the period is 10 days.^[6] For minor repairs costing less than $300 or half a month's rent, whichever is greater, you may, after 10 days' written notice, have the work done by a licensed contractor and deduct the cost, following the steps the law requires.^[7] If the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply cooling where it is installed and offered, or other essential services, you have further remedies after reasonable notice.^[8]

In Phoenix, the city recommends a five day health and safety notice for cooling failures and lists 602 262 7210 for reporting violations.^[9] You are protected from retaliation for good faith complaints to the landlord or to a government agency.^[10]

What to do with what you find

Before you sign, list every problem you found and ask the landlord in writing to repair it before move in, or to note it on the move in form as existing damage. Keep the photographs and the landlord's reply. A landlord that will not put anything in writing is telling you something important about how repairs will be handled later.

Inspect again during the tenancy, not only at the start. Before each summer, check the cooling system, replace or ask about the filter, and report any weak performance early, when repairs are easier to schedule than in the middle of a heat wave.

Your completion record

Cooling tested against the city limits
Cooling system type, age and service
Windows, doors and weather stripping
Water heater and signs of leaks
Pest control terms in writing
Smoke alarms and pool safety
Move in form completed and sent

Keep this record with your move in photographs. See the evidence guide for how to document problems, and the move in guide for the steps before you sign.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Phoenix guides