Being a property manager in the Valley is no easy role. Keeping the tenants and/or owners happy is only half of the battle. Knowing what the rules and regulations are in each specific city you’re working in is the other. It seems as soon as you get a handle on current laws, they change ‘em! The cheat sheets our property management department uses are proof of this, constantly being updated.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with Joanna Slighter, the John Hall & Associates Trust Account Manager, and she showed me one of her cheat sheets with 29 different city names here in Phoenix all with different tax configurations, structures, and rates. She also shared with me that Monday (5/5/08) happened to be a record breaking day for her department receiving over $350K in rents, taxes, deposits, etc. Anyway, I made a copy of the city tax sheet so I could share them with you.

Rental tax rates as of 5/7/08:

Anthem – No Tax
Apache Junction – 2.2%
Avondale – 2.5%
Buckeye – 2%
Carefree – 3%
Cave Creek – 2.5%
Casa Grande – 1.8%
Chandler – 1.5%
El Mirage – 3%
Fountain Hills – 1.6%
Gilbert – 1.5%
Glendale – 2.2%
Gold Canyon – No Tax
Goodyear – 2%
Laveen – No Tax
Litchfield Park – 2%
Maricopa – 2%
Mesa – 1.75%
Paradise Valley – 1.65%
Peoria – 1.8%
Phoenix – 2%
Commercial – 2.1%
Queen Creek – 2.25%
Scottsdale – 1.65%
Sun City – No Tax
Sun Lakes – No Tax
Surprise – 2.2%
Tempe – 1.8%
Tolleson – 2%
Youngtown – 2%

(Keep in mind that if your rental contracts are for less than 30 days many of these cities add an additional 3%, similar to a hotel/motel bed tax.)

These rates are deemed to be reliable at the time of this post. Be sure to check with the city tax collector for current numbers and exceptions to the rules.