Sell Your Commercial Property In Scottsdale, AZ

Who rents in Scottsdale

Scottsdale had an estimated 243,821 residents in the 2020–2024 American Community Survey, in 118,637 occupied homes. Owners held 79,513 of them and renters 39,124, a 33.0% renter share. That is below Glendale (42.8%), Mesa (35.6%) and Chandler (35.0%) and above Gilbert (26.9%), per the same ACS release.

The city counts 139,168 housing units in total, about 20,500 more than its occupied homes, so roughly 14.8% of units were not occupied as a primary residence when surveyed. In a resort city, much of that gap is likely seasonal and second homes, which matters for apartment owners because part-time residents compete for the same furnished units and short-term rentals.

Scottsdale's median household income was $110,886, second only to Gilbert among the cities we compare. Its renter base is mixed, from well-paid professionals to hospitality, retail and healthcare workers, and the city's older rental stock tends to serve the second group.

The city's economic development office lists the industries behind that mix. In healthcare, it names HonorHealth, Mayo Clinic and Banner Health and says the sector employs tens of thousands of people. In tourism, it reports more than 9 million visitors a year and says visitor spending in 2023 had an economic impact of $3.5 billion and supported more than 34,000 local jobs. Corporate headquarters include ASM, Choice Hotels, Nationwide and Axon; financial and insurance employers include Vanguard and CVS/Aetna; and software employers include Blue Yonder, Acronis, Mindbody, Ring and Zocdoc. The Scottsdale Airpark, named on our Scottsdale page, is one of the city's main office and employment areas.

Tourism also brings recurring event demand. The city cites the WM Phoenix Open, the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show among its nationally known events. Those events drive seasonal demand for furnished rentals and add temporary staff to the hospitality workforce each winter and spring.

Rents and affordability

Median gross rent in Scottsdale was $2,013 over 2020–2024, per ACS table B25064. Only Gilbert ($2,110) was higher among the cities we compare; Chandler ($1,902), Mesa ($1,620) and Glendale ($1,528) were lower.

High incomes do not remove affordability pressure. Of Scottsdale's renter households, 45.4% spend 30% or more of income on rent, and 22.8% spend at least half, more than in Chandler (43.9% and 20.1%). The city's large hospitality workforce, more than 34,000 jobs tied to visitor spending by the city's count, helps explain why burden stays high despite high median incomes.

Scottsdale's Census median rent sits above HUD's metro Fair Market Rents at every unit size up to two bedrooms and well above metro asking rents:

FMRs are for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler MSA from HUD; the metro's voucher programs use ZIP-level Small Area FMRs. Asking rents are metro averages from Kidder Mathews.

The apartment stock

Per ACS table B25024, 40,959 of Scottsdale's 139,168 housing units, or 29.4%, are in buildings with five or more units. That is a higher share than Glendale (25.1%), Chandler (20.1%) or Mesa (19.7%). The breakdown leans large: 20,560 units are in complexes of 50 or more, while 8,032 are in 5–9 unit buildings, 7,733 in 10–19 unit buildings and 4,634 in 20–49 unit buildings. Scottsdale also has 16,539 attached single-family units, many of them townhomes and patio homes that rent alongside apartments.

The median year built is 1991. The 1990s produced 33,209 units, the most of any decade, and 28.8% of housing dates from before 1980. Only 11.8% was built in 2010 or later. The older stock is concentrated in South Scottsdale and around Old Town, where many small apartment buildings date from the 1960s and 1970s. McCormick Ranch is an older master-planned community, and the Airpark area has seen newer, larger complexes near office employment.

Outside the apartment segment, detached homes account for 72,886 units, duplexes and three- to four-unit buildings for 7,628, and mobile homes for just 962. The large share of attached and multi-unit housing means Scottsdale renters have many choices at every price point, and smaller buildings need to compete on location, condition and unit size.

New supply

Large-scale building continues in the north of the city. Kidder Mathews lists Olea Scottsdale in North Scottsdale, 433 units, under construction and due in the first quarter of 2027. Metro-wide, the firm counted 15,974 units under construction in Q2 2026, down 35.5% from a year earlier, with vacancy at 11.3% and average asking rent down 2.2% to $1,536.

Property taxes on apartment buildings in Maricopa County

Arizona classifies residential rental property as legal class 4, with an assessment ratio of 10%. Under A.R.S. 42-13301, the limited property value that is taxed can rise no more than 5% a year and cannot exceed full cash value. A sale is not among the recalculation triggers in A.R.S. 42-13302, so a buyer generally inherits it. Valuation appeals are due within 60 days of the notice.

The 2025 Maricopa County rate schedule lists Scottsdale's city rates at 0.4891 primary and 0.4233 secondary per $100 of assessed value. The combined city levy is lower than Glendale's (0.3242 and 1.1296) or Gilbert's (0.0000 and 0.9800). County-wide levies include a 1.1591 county primary rate, 1.0600 primary for the community college district, 0.1428 for flood control, 0.1400 for the Central Arizona Water Conservation District and 0.2914 for the Special Health Care District. School district rates are added and vary by parcel.

Arizona has no real estate transfer tax, and the state constitution bars new ones. According to the Department of Revenue, cities stopped levying transaction privilege tax on long-term residential rent on January 1, 2025. Stays of under 30 days remain taxable as transient lodging, which matters for Scottsdale owners who rent furnished units seasonally.

Landlord rules and local compliance

A.R.S. 33-1329 preempts rent control in every Arizona city, except for housing owned, financed, insured or subsidized by a state agency or a city. Under the landlord-tenant act, security deposits are capped at one and a half months' rent, with an itemized return due within 14 business days after move-out and the tenant's demand. Nonpayment allows termination after a five-day notice. Owners must register rentals with the Maricopa County Assessor under A.R.S. 33-1902; out-of-state owners must name an Arizona statutory agent, and the statute allows a $1,000 penalty plus $100 a month for an unregistered new acquisition, or $150 a day for an existing property, after a 10-day cure. Material lease violations other than nonpayment require a 10-day notice, and a landlord who wrongfully withholds a deposit can owe twice the amount withheld.

What this means if you own a building here

Scottsdale combines high rents, strong institutional appetite for newer assets and an older South Scottsdale stock that trades on renovation potential. Kidder Mathews reported The Residences Kierland, 290 units in North Scottsdale, selling for $142.5 million, or $491,379 per unit, in Q2 2026, against a metro average cap rate of 5.8%. A 1970s 12-unit near Old Town will be valued on its in-place rents, the rent it could reach after upgrades and the cost of getting there.

Before you sell, prepare a trailing 12-month net operating income statement, separate any furnished or short-stay income from long-term leases, and confirm your assessor registration. Our capital gains tax calculator can help you estimate the tax on a sale, and if you plan to buy another property, the 1031 exchange calculator shows what deferral could save. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings in Scottsdale, listed or off-market; see our seller page.