Arizona Rape Victims No Longer Trapped In Their Apartments

Beginning Aug. 3, Arizona residents who are sexually assaulted in their apartments or rented homes will be able to break their leases without paying costly termination fees. The new law was pushed by a woman who said she was raped by a neighbor, then told by her landlord that she couldn’t break the lease.

She eventually prevailed after hiring a Phoenix lawyer, who sent the landlord an intimidating letter, according to a report by the Arizona Republic. Termination fees can total thousands of dollars, leaving the individual no choice but to remain in a dangerous and unsafe environment.

Her story came to the attention of state Rep. Daniel Hernandez, a Tucson Democrat, who worked with the woman, who chose not to be identified. She worried that other sexual assault victims would find themselves in similar situations.

Arizona law already protects domestic abuse victims who need to get out of violent living situations, and Hernandez told the newspaper he was “horrified” that sexual assault victims weren’t given the same protections.

“That’s just bonkers,” he said. “There’s nothing worse than being assaulted in your own home and feeling unsafe where you live.”

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Hernandez teamed with Paradise Valley Republican Rep. Maria Syms, who previously had shepherded changes in laws to speed the testing of rape kits and allow sexual assault and harassment victims to break non-disclosure agreements.

“We certainly don't want victims to relive the violence if they're reminded of it in their own home,” Syms told the Arizona Republic. “Victims have already suffered enough.”

Their bill passed both chambers of the Arizona Legislature by wide margins, and Gov. Doug Ducey signed it in May.

For more on how to break a lease, go to the Arizona Republic.

Photo via Shutterstock / media_digital