Without debate, state lawmakers voted Wednesday to give landlords permission to have guests of tenants removed, with or without the tenant’s permission.
Sen. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, said SB 1185 is needed because of a situation where a guest had effectively moved into an apartment and would not leave, even after being asked to do so by both the tenant and the landlord. This measure lets either party call police.
But Ellen Katz, an attorney with the William E. Morris Institute for Justice, said there already are ways to deal with that kind of situation. More concerning, she said, is that the wording of the legislation would allow a landlord to decide that a boyfriend or even a dinner guest was not welcome and have that person removed from the property.
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Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, said it would be one thing if the legislation permitted the landlord to evict a guest that the tenant did not want.
“The landlord can come in and evict somebody just because they don’t like the looks of them,” he said. And Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Phoenix, said landlords could use this to discriminate. But Griffin said leases are governed by not only contracts but anti-discrimination laws.
Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
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