AMA fights harmful legislation, protects private property rights, supports policies that increase housing supply, and gives members a unified voice at the Arizona Capitol, in city halls, and in Washington, D.C.
Where it startedAMA began when 65 apartment owners gathered in Phoenix because they were being taxed unfairly and had no unified legislative voice. Today, AMA informs, motivates, and mobilizes the rental housing industry statewide.
Why advocacy matters
Advocacy protects the work members do every day.
Laws passed at the Arizona Capitol can affect housing supply, operations, costs, and resident services. AMA helps ensure lawmakers understand how those decisions affect Arizona rental housing in the real world.
Housing policy shapes whether Arizona can build, operate, and preserve the homes residents need.
Advocacy in motionA quick visual backdrop brings the Capitol work into the story without slowing the page down.
Myth vs. Fact
Advocacy is often misunderstood.
Flip each card to see how AMA advocacy supports members throughout Arizona.
Myth
Advocacy only matters to large owners.
Fact
Legislation affects owners, operators, developers, suppliers, onsite teams, and residents across the rental housing ecosystem.
Myth
AMA only gets involved during elections.
Fact
AMA monitors legislation, works with agencies, meets with lawmakers, and prepares strategy year-round.
Myth
One email from a member does not make a difference.
Fact
Lawmakers listen closely to constituents. A quick message can reinforce testimony, committee work, and Arizona Capitol meetings.
How advocacy works
From member concern to legislative action.
AMA turns member experience into policy strategy, lawmaker education, coalition work, and direct action when bills affect Arizona rental housing.
01
Members identify issues
Members surface emerging concerns through committees, surveys, calls, events, and conversations with AMA staff.
02
AMA builds strategy
Government affairs staff review bill language, assess risk, draft solutions, and coordinate with lobbyists and partners.
03
Members take action
Action alerts, testimony, meetings, and constituent outreach give lawmakers real-world context from the industry.
04
AMA reports back
Members receive updates on wins, losses, threats, bill movement, and what to expect next.
Advocacy in actionMember voices shape policy outcomes.Photo: AMA members providing committee testimony at the Arizona Legislature.At the CapitolHousing advocacy starts with relationships.Photo: Arizona State Capitol.Member learningProcess knowledge builds stronger advocates.Photo: AMA Lyceum members visiting the Arizona State Capitol.
2026 public policy agenda
What AMA fights for.
A quick view of AMA’s core policy priorities. Members who want the details can download the full agenda.
Housing supplyAffordability starts with enough homes.Photo: New housing development in Arizona.Bipartisan housing coalitionRental assistance and researchIn 2026, AMA worked with housing stakeholders and a bipartisan coalition of legislators on rental assistance legislation and a study committee focused on rental assistance recommendations.
What we track
State and local policy issues.
AMA monitors the issues that can affect how rental housing is built, owned, managed, financed, and regulated across Arizona.
Zoning reformSupports policies that remove barriers to apartment development and increase available housing.
Permitting and design standardsTracks local rules that can slow housing production or increase development costs.
Development incentivesProtects tools that make new housing financially feasible.
Housing Trust FundSupports targeted funding that expands affordable housing supply.
Arizona Landlord and Tenant ActProtects balanced policy for owners, operators, and residents.
Eviction processOpposes measures that add unnecessary cost and delay while preserving due process.
Resident screeningProtects responsible tools that help housing providers manage risk and safety.
Private property rightsOpposes policies that diminish ownership rights or contract protections.
Property taxOpposes measures that unfairly shift tax burden to rental properties.
Tax on rentContinues to protect renters and operators from unnecessary monthly tax burdens.
Development impact feesTracks fees that can make projects more expensive or infeasible.
Municipal patchworkOpposes inconsistent local rules that create compliance chaos across Arizona.
Legislative session
Your hub for session updates, bill tracking, and election resources.
Follow the latest legislative updates, track bills that affect rental housing, and stay aware of key election dates for the 2026 cycle.
Stay current during session.
AMA keeps members informed throughout the legislative session with weekly updates, bill tracking, and summaries of major outcomes.
Legislative sessionFollow the policy work as it moves.Photo: Arizona Senate floor.
Key 2026 election dates.
Important dates for voter registration, early voting, and Election Day.
Primary voter registration deadline
Primary early voting begins
Primary Election Day
General voter registration deadline
General early voting begins
General Election Day
2026 AMA candidate endorsements coming soon.
AMA will share candidate endorsements and election resources as the 2026 cycle develops.
Coming Soon
Issue deep dive
Rent control and housing supply.
Rent control is often presented as a simple affordability tool. The long-term challenge is that price caps can discourage new housing investment, reduce maintenance, and make it harder for growing communities to meet demand.
Arizona needs 236,000 new apartment homes by 2030.
Start here
Rent control feels like an immediate fix.
For someone learning the issue, the appeal is understandable: rents are rising, households feel pressure, and a cap sounds like a clear way to slow the pain. The policy question is what happens after the first headline.
Rents riseResidents and policymakers look for fast relief.
A cap is proposedThe idea is easy to explain and emotionally compelling.
The system reactsHousing finance, maintenance, and new construction respond to the rule.
Housing supplyThe better path is more homes and targeted help.Photo: Housing supply visual for the rent control discussion.
The long-term tradeoff is housing supply.
Rent control does not only affect a monthly lease. Over time, price caps can change whether new housing pencils out, whether existing communities can keep up with rising costs, and whether investment moves to places with more predictable rules.
Common assumptionRent control keeps housing affordable.It sounds like a direct resident protection when housing costs are rising.
What can happenSupply can tighten.When fewer homes are built or maintained, communities may compete for a smaller rental housing pool.
Affordability needs more homes and targeted help.
AMA’s message is easier to follow when it is framed as a housing pipeline: build more homes, remove barriers, preserve useful housing tools, and target support to residents who need it most.
Increase supplyMore homes reduce pressure across the market.
Remove barriersPermitting, zoning, fees, and uncertainty can slow production.
Target assistanceDirect resources can reach residents under the greatest pressure.
AMA supports a better path to housing affordability.Increase supply, remove barriers, preserve housing tools, and target assistance where residents need it most.
Eviction is the last step, not the first response.
When a resident falls behind or a lease issue comes up, housing providers usually try to communicate, understand what happened, and work toward resolution. Eviction is the final legal step only when an issue remains unresolved.
Keeping residents housed is always the preferred outcome.
Click through the pathway to see how communication and resolution come first.
Why early resolution matters.
Eviction creates costs and disruption for residents, communities, and property operations. The fact sheet shows how an $810 missed rent payment can grow into a $3,238 owner cost once legal, vacancy, repair, staff, storage, and capital expenses are included.
Average total owner cost$3,238Early solutions are better for residents, communities, and housing operations whenever resolution is possible.
Missed rent: $810The unpaid rent that begins the situation is only one part of the final cost.
What the data shows.
These points help members, residents, policymakers, and media understand eviction policy with more clarity and less shorthand.
The takeaway is straightforward: early resolution is better for residents, communities, and property operations. Eviction is the final legal step when an issue remains unresolved.
96%of eviction actions cited in the fact sheet were due to nonpayment of rent.
$76.9Mestimated annual cost of eviction actions resulting in judgments and writs in Maricopa and Pima counties.
20%decrease in statewide eviction filings since the 2006 peak, excluding 2020.
National advocacy
AMA at NAA Advocate.
Every year, AMA members and delegates travel to Washington, D.C. to meet directly with Arizona’s federal elected leaders and their teams.
Advocate is a chance to sit down with the people who represent Arizona and talk through the housing challenges impacting our communities.
In 2026, AMA delegates and members were on Capitol Hill meeting face to face with both of Arizona’s senators and representatives from all nine congressional districts.
Across National Apartment Association affiliates, more than 900 members participated in 300+ meetings. AMA’s group met with 11 offices in one day, giving Arizona’s rental housing industry a strong voice in federal housing conversations.
Advocacy in actionAMA delegates meeting with Arizona’s federal leaders and their teams.
Political action
Support pro-housing leadership.
AMAPAC and the Better Government Fund help the apartment industry maintain a strong voice at the Arizona Capitol and in city halls across Arizona.
Political Action Committee
AMAPAC
The Arizona Multihousing Association Political Action Committee raises funds to support elected leaders who are open and receptive to apartment industry issues.
Cannot accept corporate contributions. Contributions are not tax deductible.
AMA advocacy has helped advance housing opportunity, reduce barriers to development, and protect stable rental housing across Arizona for decades.
HB2068 — Liability Protection, 2025Provides liability protection for rental property owners when a service or assistance animal causes injury or property damage.
HB2110 — Multifamily Development Opportunities, 2025Expands multifamily residential development or adaptive reuse opportunities on eligible commercial, office, or mixed-use parcels.
HB2447 — Streamlined Local Approvals, 2025Requires administrative review and approval of certain applications based on objective standards.
Commercial to Apartment Construction, 2024Helped expedite development of new apartments using commercial buildings or redevelopment of commercial parcels.
30+ bills defeated, 2024Blocked harmful proposals affecting rent control, source of income, eviction mediation, fees, water certificates, and more.
Arizona Housing Trust Fund, 2023Advocated for $150 million in the Arizona budget for affordable housing and homelessness services.
Arizona Ground Water Act, 2023Defeated legislation that would have required certain build-to-rent communities to obtain additional water supply certification.
Housing Supply Study Committee, 2022Created a committee to examine barriers to new housing development.
State LIHTC, 2021Created a state Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program to support affordable housing construction.
Virtual Court, 2021Enabled parties in a court hearing to appear virtually, increasing access to the courts.
Partial Payments of Rent, 2019Clarified that certain housing vouchers do not constitute rent.
Rent Tax Notification, 2019Required written notice before new residential rental tax rates take effect.
Abandoned Pets and Property, 2018Provided guidance and reduced the abandoned property holding period.
GPLET, 2018Protected Arizona’s Government Property Lease Excise Tax development incentive.
Rent Control, 2017Defeated legislation that would have authorized municipalities to adopt rent control ordinances.
Inclusionary Zoning, 2015Prohibited municipalities from adopting inclusionary zoning ordinances.
Zoning Ordinances, 2021Required cities and towns to consider housing cost impacts of zoning amendments.
Abandoned Pets, 2021Created remedies for property owners to quickly remove abandoned animals and release them to a family member or shelter.
Rent Tax, 2011Required voter approval for any rental tax rate increase.
Bedbugs, 2011Outlined landlord and tenant responsibilities and limited local bedbug regulations.
Development Impact Fees, 2011Partnered with stakeholders to reform development impact fee statutes.
Interior InspectionsProhibited annual interior rental unit inspections and annual inspection fees, saving the industry over $17 million annually.
Affordable Housing InitiativeEnsured multifamily developer feedback was included in Phoenix’s plan to build up to 50,000 workforce and affordable housing units by 2030.
ImmigrationDefeated legislation requiring managers to verify legal immigration status of prospective tenants.
Property MaintenanceDefeated legislation requiring licensed contractors for routine apartment maintenance.
Regulatory ProtectionsBlocked rent control, leasing-agent licensing attempts, and other proposals affecting apartment operations.
Get involved
Your participation is the engine.
The most effective advocacy happens when members are informed, ready, and willing to share how policy affects their communities.
Sign up for action alerts
Get notified when AMA needs members to contact legislators. A two-minute message can matter.
