Tucson Standard

Renters in Tucson should prepare for another rate hike when their lease comes up for renewal, as a hot housing market is continuing to pressure rental rate increases across the board.

“Will it rise as much as it did in 2021? That’s hard to say,” Jeff Andrews, a data journalist at Zumper, said. “2021 was probably the most rent growth that has ever happened here in the United States.” 

In 2021, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment was 21% higher than a year earlier, Zumper data shows.

Between the housing market and inflation, rent prices are going up across the nation, but Tucson has the added challenge of being close enough to Phoenix to feel a trickle-down effect. People who are moving to Arizona might be scared off by Phoenix’s size and its housing costs, so they look to Tucson as an alternative.

Arizonans have no safety net when it comes to rent prices because the state does not have a law limiting how much a landlord can raise rates, KOLD News 13 said.

Legislators are looking to offer some relief as a new bill was introduced to increase the supply of low-income units. The bill would also set aside close to $90 million to help provide shelter for the homeless.