Arizona 5-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit

Arizona nonpayment notice: rent, receipt and the next legal step

A nonpayment notice gives the tenant a written opportunity to address unpaid rent before the landlord starts an eviction case. Its amount, wording and delivery matter. This guide explains the ordinary Arizona residential process supported by this form and identifies situations that need a separate review.

State provisions reviewed October 27, 2026. This is a custom notice, not a court-issued form. No city-specific eviction rule or court approval is represented.

1. Identify the right legal basis before completing the notice

A.R.S. 33-1368(B) governs ordinary residential nonpayment. The notice must identify the unpaid rent and the landlord's intention to terminate if payment is not made within the applicable five-day period. Subsection (G) uses calendar days. This is different from the notice for a health-and-safety breach, another lease violation or the end of a tenancy.

Read the lease and every addendum first. Housing assistance, federally backed financing, mobile-home or RV tenancies, tribal jurisdiction, bankruptcy, military protections, payment agreements, repair disputes and applicable orders may change what is required. The five-day wording must not be assumed sufficient for those cases.

2. Prepare a rent statement that can be checked

Use the signed lease, rent ledger and payment records. Identify each rental period, the rent charged, and every payment or credit allocated to that period. Do not add an opening balance again if the same months already appear in the statement. Keep unpaid periodic rent separate from any reasonable late fee supported by a written lease; identify the fee provision and calculation.

For example, if one month's rent is $1,250 and a $250 credit applies, that row shows a $1,000 unpaid balance. The arithmetic does not decide whether a partial payment waived an existing termination right. Review the payment circumstances as explained below before relying on a notice.

Check that the notice identifies the tenants and the full rental address, including the unit. Give usable payment instructions: who receives payment, where or how payment can be made, and any relevant contact information. An address or phone number in the form should describe the actual rental arrangement, not an example.

3. Distinguish the notice date from the date of receipt

The date you prepare or sign a notice does not establish when the tenant receives it. Under A.R.S. 33-1313(B), the supported methods are personal hand delivery and registered or certified mail to the tenant's designated notice address or, if none, the last known residence. For registered or certified mail, deemed receipt is actual receipt or five days after mailing, whichever comes first.

Keep a copy of the exact notice given and evidence of actual delivery or mailing. For mail, retain the mailing receipt and tracking information. Complete the delivery record after the event. Do not write a planned event as completed service. A PDF sent through email or a messaging app does not establish compliance with the delivery methods described here.

This form does not produce a court-filing date. Before filing, determine receipt and completion of the applicable notice period, and check any longer lease or federal protection. A court-paper deadline and a presuit notice period are separate questions.

4. Recheck the case when money is offered or received

A.R.S. 33-1368(B) provides different reinstatement rules before filing, after filing and after judgment. Before filing, tender of all past-due periodic rent and a reasonable written-lease late fee reinstates the agreement. After filing, the statute adds attorney fees and court costs. After a judgment for the landlord, reinstatement is discretionary.

Partial payments require a separate check under A.R.S. 33-1371. The landlord need not accept a partial payment. When one is accepted, preserving the right to proceed requires the tenant's contemporaneous written agreement addressing the continuing tenancy and the date the balance is due. The statute contains an exception for housing-assistance payments and otherwise describes waiver through acceptance with knowledge of the default. Entering a credit in this form does not create that agreement or resolve waiver.

If payment, an agreement or the amount owed changes after delivery, retain the original notice and records. Review the legal effect before taking the next step; do not simply edit a saved copy and treat the changed document as the notice already delivered.

5. Confirm the property and the proper court

The rental's physical address determines the relevant jurisdiction. A mailing city or ZIP code alone is not a court-precinct determination. Use the Arizona Judicial Branch's eviction resources to identify the proper court and its current forms and filing instructions. The Pima County court forms are a separate local resource when that court has jurisdiction.

This statewide statutory notice does not establish compliance with a municipal licensing requirement or a property-specific restriction. Check those requirements separately. The landlord's disclosure duties under A.R.S. 33-1322 also remain separate; completing a notice does not replace a disclosure owed under that section.

6. Keep the notice separate from eviction and enforcement

Expiration of a notice is not a judgment or permission to remove a tenant. A.R.S. 33-1367 provides tenant remedies for unlawful removal, exclusion and interruption of essential services. Do not treat this notice as authorization to change locks, remove occupants or shut off utilities.

Before a court filing, assemble the lease and addenda, accurate rent records, the exact notice, delivery evidence and records of subsequent payments or agreements. Check current court requirements and any protections affecting the tenancy. The court process determines the right to possession; this form prepares only the notice and its delivery record.

Completing the Arizona blank notice

This print form is limited to ordinary residential nonpayment under the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, for unpaid rent only and no late fees owed. It does not check eligibility, calculate amounts or determine a delivery or filing date. Review the lease, state and local requirements, federal housing or financing coverage, any payment agreement, and protections or court orders affecting the tenancy. If the situation falls outside that scope, obtain a separate review before using it.

Complete the notice before signing

Fill in the tenants, rental address, landlord information, rental periods, charges, payments and credits, total unpaid rent, notice date and usable payment instructions. Check every entry against the lease and payment records, then sign and date the completed notice by hand. Keep a copy of the exact notice delivered. The notice date and signature date do not establish the tenant's receipt date or the end of the notice period.

Record delivery after it happens

The second page records actual delivery or mailing. Leave it blank until the event occurs, then enter the recipient, method, date and location or mailing address. Use a separate record when recipients or delivery events differ. Keep postal receipts, tracking information and evidence of receipt with the record; do not replace a blank with a planned event. For registered or certified mail, A.R.S. 33-1313(B) determines receipt by the earlier of actual receipt or five days after mailing. A signature or an email or text attachment does not establish compliance with those delivery requirements.

This delivery record concerns the presuit notice, not service of a court summons. Review the Arizona rent, receipt and court-process guide before calculating the notice period or taking a further legal step. The form is user-prepared and is not an official court form.

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