Possible retaliation case in Arizona, just looking for any advice
Hey everyone — looking for legal advice or insight on a landlord issue in Chandler, AZ.
Background: On March 10th 2025, my family's apartment caught fire (caused by my mom). The fire hit the stove/microwave primarily and filled the unit with smoke. We were displaced until May 24, living in a hotel covered by insurance. Despite being uninhabitable, the complex charged full rent the entire time.
We have a fixed-term lease through August 31, 2025, with three named tenants on it (me, my mom, and my sister).
On May 27, I we a long list of maintenance issues in person to the office (washer, drywall repairs, water filter, etc.)
The next day (May 28), a maintenance worker handed my mom a 60-day notice, addressed only to me, saying our lease was being “terminated” — no cause, no explanation, no citation of lease terms or AZ law.
The form was short and unprofessional (barely 1/3 page), and signed by “Owner’s Representative” with no name or contact info.
Actual Notice Text: 60 DAY NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF TENANCY (AZ) Date: 05/28/25 To: (OP) AND ALL OTHER OCCUPANTS OF THE PREMISES Address: (abc) On August 31st, 2025, you must surrender possession of the premises described above to Management Support, the management agent of the owner of the above-referenced property. Your failure to vacate the premises by such date will cause Management Support to initiate legal proceedings against you to recover possession of the premises, and to seek a judgment for damages for each day of occupancy after the expiration date of this notice, court costs and attorney’s fees. This notice is intended as a sixty (60) day notice terminating your tenancy. Signature of Owner’s Representative (manager signature address (property address) ✓ Hand delivered ☐ Mailed by certified mail Resident copy served on: 05/28/25
I've also requested multiple times to get a list of the companies they used to restore our apartment, as there were major communication breakdowns as to what exactly was happening. We've received no written communication from the manager at any point — no follow-ups, no documentation, no paper trail despite multiple requests.
Fridge Issue (Possibly Fire Related):
The refrigerator was right next to the kitchen fire and sat unplugged for days without power.
Servpro (the content restoration company that worked with my mom's insurance) ,removed the food but did not clean the inside.
Management initially told my mom we’d have to clean it ourselves and they wouldn’t replace it.
When I brought it up again, the manager falsely claimed Servpro cleaned it (they didn’t) and kept saying my mom had hired them, which while we did use them to restore our contents, they invite just showed up after the fire and the complex called them.
Only after I pressed the issue did they send housekeeping to clean it — but we still felt it was a biohazard after smoke exposure and days without power.
Since moving back in, the fridge hasn’t been working properly. The maintenance manager now says it’s “not fire-related,” and it stopped pumping refrigerant but we’re still having it replaced this week. All in all the original attitude was: “not our problem.” we had a massive problem with it because Servpro had to claim all electronics and mostly plastics bc of soot and smoke exposure, even old gaming consoles I had tucked away in the closet but the giant electric plastic appliance literally right next to the fire was treated as it wasn't affected. The fact that they initially even said we have to clean it is ridiculous as if they were gonna keep it, they should have a professional cleaning team specializing in fire restoration come clean it considering we eat food out of it.
🧾 What I’ve Done So Far:
Drafted a rebuttal letter (calling out improper notice, lack of cause, and possible retaliation)
Compiled a full timeline of events, including displacement, rent charges, and repair requests
Submitted an application to Community Legal Services (CLS) got an attorney that replied but it's been difficult getting in contact with him
Have a copy of the lease, the notice, and repair request history
What I’d Like Help With:
Is this notice valid if it wasn’t delivered to all leaseholders and doesn’t cite the lease or law?
Could this be considered retaliatory under A.R.S. § 33-1381, given how fast it came after repair requests?
If it’s thrown out, can they just reissue it and still boot us by Aug 31?
Is the way they handled the fridge (and downplaying the fire damage) legally relevant?
I’m not trying to force a lease renewal, and if possible that'd be great as we've been here for 5 years and love it but mostly I be retaliated against, or railroaded into just leaving without any pushback, or let the manager continue being shady and unprofessional with no accountability. Appreciate any advice.
Posted Jun 30, 2025, 3:22 AM UTC