Hi renters,

Welcome to Rent Check PHX. In today’s issue, we’re talking about plants that can survive both apartment life and Phoenix’s climate.

Our resident green thumb Trinity Murchie walks you through growing plants that are both pretty and practical—I really need to take a page out of her book and start growing some herbs.

We also talk about Arizona’s short housing supply, and what grades renters would give their landlords.

But, maybe most importantly, I have an announcement for you: Rent Check PHX is going weekly. This means you’ll get your next edition next Wednesday, June 3, instead of two weeks from now.

I’m looking forward to bringing more renting news-you-can-use your way!

Now, here’s my question for you: What’s the best apartment or home you’ve rented, and why? Let me know, and I’ll include some answers next week!

Jessica Swarner

Newsletter Editor, Rent Check PHX

*Paywalled content noted with 🔒

🔨 Construction of new apartments is helping to drive down rent across the country. (Arizona Mirror)

🏠 However, a new report shows that Arizona is still in immediate need of 56,000 homes. (Axios Phoenix)

😭 Here’s a painful stat: Arizona saw a 94.3% increase in home prices from 2016 to 2026, the 14th-highest of US states. (Phoenix New Times)

🛏️ The number of unhoused people in Phoenix saw only a tiny dip from last year, but the good news is that a majority of those people were sheltered. (Phoenix New Times)

💸 Have you rented from Greystar? The mega-landlord owes Arizona renters $1.6 million as part of settlements over hidden fees. (The Copper Courier)

📦 These 10 Arizona ZIP codes are getting the most new residents, according to a new study. (The Copper Courier)

🍽️ These extendable dining tables could help free up more space in your apartment. (Apartment Therapy)

12 apartment-friendly plants that can survive and thrive in Phoenix

It is possible to have a thriving edible garden, even when renting an apartment in Phoenix. (Jorge Luis Zapico/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

by Trinity Murchie

Container-friendly plants ensure that you can plant your greenery in a pot that can be transported when you inevitably move to that next best address. Even if you’re not renting, container plants make it easy to adjust to sun and shade preferences or change up the landscape on a moment’s notice.

Undoubtedly, succulents thrive in Phoenix. That includes aloe, prickly pear, yucca, teddy bear cholla, and the like. Some tropicals, such as banana trees, passion fruit vines, and palm trees, grow terrifically, too.

Pollinators, edible, and medicinals can be a whole different story, though, and that is what this guide is for.

Find out what foods and flowers you can grow on a patio

🏋️‍♀️ If you’re a workout-from-home person: This four-bed, 3.5-bath near 14th Street and Dobbins Road has a dedicated exercise room. It’s unclear if any of the equipment would be left for the tenant, but even if it gets emptied out, at least you’d have a room set up for this kind of activity. The 2,478-square-foot home also features a walk-in closet, solar panels, double sinks in the master bathroom with a tub in between, and a fenced-in backyard with a covered patio, turf square, and BBQ area. The home is available now and listed for $3,950 a month. Pets are negotiable.

🫧 If you’ve dreamt of a backyard hot tub: This four-bed, two-bath near 44th Street and Thomas Road has just that—although renters will be expected to take care of it during their lease. The 1,600-square-foot home also has a grassy, fenced-in backyard with a covered patio. It’s available now for $3,650 a month, which includes irrigation and landscaping. Small dogs are allowed.

🏠 If you want a big house for less: This 2,253-square-foot home is listed for $1,825 a month. It has three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and a garage, and it’s located near 91st Avenue and McDowell Road. It’s available now, and pets are allowed.

If you come across any interesting, weird, or surprisingly affordable listings that you think should be featured here, please send them my way!

Email here

Listings available as of May 26. I’m not paid to share these listings, but that doesn’t mean I can personally vouch for them. Please do your research before applying and signing a lease!

This is The Tenant’s Voice, a place where we can share our renting frustrations, helpful tips, and pressing questions.

In the last edition, I asked what grade you would give your landlord and why. Here’s what you said:

💬 “I would definitely have to give my landlord a ‘D.’ I moved into a wonderful hidden gem of a community next to the Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort just over 2 years ago. Initial acclimation and attention from management was great, but as I find usually happens, this has increasingly gone downhill as time has progressed. Impossible to make direct phone contact with office staff, long delayed maintenance request respond now incomplete work. Gated community has now become wide open as gates remain broken going on 8+months. Emails to management and office are always responded to with typical, fake concern vibes and then nothing is ever properly responded to even after sometimes multiple complaints or requests. I now have zero confidence in the management and have become a spectator as the community slides even further into a place that I don’t even recognize.” — Jeff L.

💬 “C minus. I’ve been here 20 years. Property sold around 12 years ago. Previous landlord took care of landscaping … We had grass and trees and flowers that were maintained bi monthly. Current landlord let most of the landscape die (save for a couple of bougainvillea plants, which are MESSY and shed alot), so now the grass and most of the landscape plants are dead. Current LL does not do regular service on appliances such as AC and water heater. The only reason my water heater is still working is because it was not installed up to code. It is outside on a concrete slab … the only thing keeping the rotted bottom from falling off is the slab. The only reason my appliances and AC work is because I have paid to have them maintained. All appliances, including AC and W/D are 26 years old.” — Gail K.

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