Phoenix-area renters with old eviction judgments on their record just got a meaningful second chance at finding housing—without getting stuck in extra procedural steps.
A new state law now in effect could help thousands of Arizonans who paid their back rent and fees but still couldn’t get approved for an apartment because the paperwork never caught up.
The city’s announcement explains that HB 2244 creates a clear process for tenants to submit proof of payment and requires the legal record to formally reflect that the judgment was satisfied—so it stops shadowing every future rental application.
The core problem the law fixes is a procedural gap: tenants would pay everything they owed after an eviction, but if a “satisfaction of judgment” was never officially filed, the eviction still showed up as unresolved on background checks—triggering denials even for renters who had fully resolved their debt.
Phoenix Vice Mayor Kesha Hodge Washington, who testified before the Arizona Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee earlier this year in support of the bill, put it plainly: “I have seen too many tenants who paid their back rent and fees still struggle simply because a satisfaction of judgment was never filed.”
“When that happens, families who have done everything required of them can be denied future housing opportunities,” she said.
Hodge Washington, who worked as a civil litigation attorney before taking office, called the law “a meaningful step that will positively impact thousands of Arizonans.”
The bill was signed by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and sponsored by state Rep. Walt Blackman, drawing support from a bipartisan coalition.
For Phoenix renters who’ve been turned down for apartments because of an old judgment—even one they’ve already resolved—this law opens a direct path to getting that record updated.
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