Question about the 83 units mark for landlord tenant law exemptions

I manage a small complex with 74 units in Phoenix. I thought we were safe from certain city rental rules because we were under 100 units. Then a city inspector told me there's a different threshold at 83 units for some inspection requirements. I've been running this property for 6 years and never knew that. Got hit with a $2,500 fine for not having a specific fire safety document on file. Has anyone else run into weird local property laws that only kick in at random unit counts?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_taylor10d ago

Wait, was that 83-unit threshold in the city code or state law?

jake74710d ago

It's wild how many weird little rules are hiding in fine print like that. 83 units is such a random cutoff too. Makes you wonder if some city council member's buddy owned a complex with 82 units and helped write the rule. I've noticed this pattern everywhere honestly. Like how some parking lots have free parking for the first 15 minutes but 16 minutes gets you a ticket. Or how certain health inspection rules kick in at exactly 25 employees. Feels like these arbitrary numbers are designed to catch people who don't dig deep enough. The $2,500 fine is steep but unfortunately that's how they get you, by assuming you'll just pay up instead of fighting it.

nina_taylor10d ago

And honestly, I'm one to talk about missing fine print... I once signed a lease without reading the part about "holiday trash pickup schedules" and ended up with a full can sitting out for three weeks straight. The 83-unit thing does feel like some loophole someone carved out, probably while laughing at the rest of us who just nod along. It's funny how these random cutoffs always seem to benefit someone with a hand in writing them, not the people who actually have to follow the rules.