MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Despite multiple months of record breaking number of evictions filed, 2023 came up shy of breaking the record for most evictions filed in a year. In 2005, the year with the most evictions filed, there were 83,687. That is just 451 more than the number of evictions filed in 2023, according to data from the Maricopa County Justice Courts.
The number of evictions filed is not the same as the number of evictions that are carried out, resulting in the loss of housing. There are multiple reasons for this.
When a landlord files an eviction, a tenant can still pay the "past-due" amount before a judge issues a ruling. Some tenants may move out before the eviction goes to court. A population increase also tends to lead to increased evictions filed.
In December of 2023, there were 7,106 evictions filed, continuing a downward trend the county saw in the fall. November of 2023 saw the least number of evictions filed since May 2023. with only 6,656 evictions filed.
Even though 2023 did not break any records, it is the year with the most evictions filed since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, evictions filed were back up to 67,491, after two years of all time lows, and 2023 surged to levels that have not been seen in the county since the mid-200s.
The Kyrene court precinct saw the most amount of evictions filed in December and overall in 2023, according to the data released by Maricopa County Justice Courts. The Ironwood court precinct saw the fewest number of evictions filed in December and in 2023.
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