Arizona landlords who received grants to help with non-paying tenants filed hundreds of evictions [View all]

Arizona landlords who received money from a state program that aimed to prevent evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic filed nearly 2,500 eviction notices during the pandemic, an Arizona Republic investigation found.

A landlord who received almost $1 million from the property owner's fund — the most of any landlord — filed for more than 350 evictions at apartment complexes across Maricopa County during the pandemic, The Republic found. Another landlord filed for eviction on almost 30% of his tenants at a single Glendale apartment complex despite receiving $50,000 in assistance for the same property.

The Republic found that nearly half of the 633 Maricopa County properties that received assistance from the fund filed for evictions between March 24, 2020 — the day the first eviction moratorium took effect — and Dec. 31. The state did not check to see if landlords had evicted tenants before awarding assistance, nor did it check to make sure landlords did not evict tenants after assistance was awarded.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2021/03/25/arizona-landlords-grants-help-nonpaying-renters-evicted-tenants/6892630002/