In court-decided eviction outcomes for Sunsites, AZ, tenants prevail in roughly 21.9% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
37d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Sunsites, AZ until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 37 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.5–4.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Sunsites, AZ costs landlords $1,542 to $4,133 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,065
37% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Sunsites, AZ is $1,065 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 37% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
12.5%
of households
12.5% of occupied housing units in Sunsites, AZ are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
3.3%
2.2% unemp.
3.3% of Sunsites, AZ residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 2.2%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +23.2% (2024)
4.6
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.6
State political climate
Arizona legislature & governorship
2.2
Economic stress
3.3% poverty · 2.2% unemp.
3.3
Supply constraint
$1,065 average · 12.5% renters
5.3
Rent Control risk
37.3% of income on rent
3.9
Eviction process difficulty
37 days filing → judgment
1.7
Tenant organizing strength
12.5% renters
4.2
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across Sunsites and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Sunsites compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Cochise County
Very Low
#18of 22 cities
#18 of 22 cities in Cochise County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Arizona
Very Low
#384of 464 cities
#384 of 464 cities in Arizona for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.3
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 2.3/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.4 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
37d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,065/mo. A contested eviction takes 37 days and costs $1,542–$4,133 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
12.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 611 residents, 12.5% rent. 37% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 3.3% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.6
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.6 and 4.6 (GOP margin +23.2% (2024)). State climate at 2.2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2.2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2.2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 1.7, housing court bias 3.2, rent-control risk 3.9. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.3 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
3.3
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 3.3. Supply constraint: 5.3. The numbers behind those: 3.3% poverty, 2.2% unemployment, 37% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Sunsites sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Sunsites · 37d · ~$2.8k all-in ($77/day) · score 2.3National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Sunsites, Arizona, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.3/10 (VERY LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Sunsites is a city of 611 residents where 12.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 37.3% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,065/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Sunsites eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.7/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Sunsites closes 37 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Sunsites's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 3.2/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Sunsites runs $1,542 to $4,133 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 37 days of typical timeline and $1,065/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 4.2/10 in Sunsites, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.9/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Arizona, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Sunsites: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a VERY LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Arizona's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $4,133 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Sunsites
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Cost-versus-timeline trade-off: at 37 days and roughly $4,133 on the high end, cash-for-keys at $1,653 to $2,479 typically beats the legal route for non-aggravated cases. Default judgment frequency is high under ARLTA ARS 33.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant claims I didn't make repairs?
If a tenant claims you didn't make necessary repairs, they must first give you written notice of the issue and a reasonable time to fix it (typically 10 days, or 5 days for essential services like hot water). If they haven't followed this procedure, their claim likely won't hold up in an eviction for non-payment. Always document repair requests and your responses.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant in Sunsites without a reason?
For a month-to-month lease, yes, you can terminate the tenancy without "just cause" by providing a 30-day written notice. For a fixed-term lease, you generally need a lease violation (like non-payment) or the expiration of the lease term. Arizona does not have statewide just-cause eviction laws.
Q3
How do I handle a tenant who moves out but leaves belongings?
Arizona law requires you to store the tenant's personal property for at least 10 days after a writ of restitution has been executed. You must send a notice to the tenant's last known address informing them where to retrieve their items. If they don't claim them, you can dispose of or sell the property. Consult Arizona tenant protections for specifics.
Q4
Can I increase rent in Sunsites?
Yes, Arizona has no statewide rent control. You can increase rent, but for a month-to-month tenancy, you must give at least 30 days' written notice before the increase takes effect. For a fixed-term lease, you can only increase rent after the lease term expires, unless the lease specifically allows for it. For more information, see our Arizona rent control rules.
Q5
What's the biggest mistake landlords make during eviction?
The biggest mistake is often failing to follow the precise legal steps, especially regarding notice periods and proper service of documents. Another common error is attempting self-help evictions, like changing locks or turning off utilities, which is illegal and can lead to severe penalties. Stick to the process.
A 2.3/10 places Sunsites in the 24th percentile of Arizona cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Sunsites (2.3/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
