questions & answers

Question: I have a verbal lease until October and I pre-paid and it is June I was told yesterday to leave by July 1 which is not even a 30 day notice if she serves me an evection notice is there a free legal aid with attorneys representing me in court because I know she will have an attorney.

Answer: A landlord may only go to court to seek a tenant’s eviction after the tenant has received from the landlord a written notice specifying how the tenant has breached the rental agreement and providing the tenant with an opportunity to “cure” that breach if possible (A.R.S. 33-1368). A landlord who wishes to terminate a month-to-month written agreement may provide the tenant with 30 days written notice (A.R.S. 33-1375). A landlord who entered into a verbal rental agreement with a tenant for a period of no more than one year cannot terminate that agreement before the end of the agreed-upon term without the tenant’s written consent. A verbal rental agreement is a valid rental agreement (A.R.S. 33-1310). There are links to free and low-cost legal services on this website (at http://www.azlawhelp.org/accessToJustice).