Arizona evictions (called Special Detainer actions) move faster than in most states. From the day you receive a notice to the day a constable can enforce a writ of restitution can be as little as three weeks if you don't respond. Knowing the steps is the first thing that gives you time to act.
Non-payment of rent requires a 5-day pay-or-quit notice. Lease violations require a 10-day cure-or-quit notice. Health-and-safety violations or repeated material breaches can be immediate.
If you don't pay or cure within the notice period, the landlord can file a Special Detainer in Justice Court. You'll be served with the complaint and a hearing date — usually 3 to 6 days out.
You must appear (or file a written answer for some courts). If you don't show, judgment is entered against you by default. If you do show, the judge hears both sides and decides the same day in most cases.
If the landlord wins, you have 5 calendar days to vacate before the landlord can ask the court to issue a writ of restitution.
Once the writ issues, a constable can come within 12 to 24 hours to physically remove you and any remaining property. At that point, the only path back in is through a separate landlord lawsuit or a settlement.
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