Security deposits
Review statewide information about deposit limits, move-out inspections, deductions, supporting records, and return of the balance.
Open the guide →California / State guide
California renters' rights: the 21-day security-deposit deadline
California generally requires the landlord to deliver an itemized statement and the remaining security no later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates. Our first California guide covers that and the rest of the statewide security-deposit sequence, and clearly marks where a local rule or individual circumstance may require another source.
Available now
State law, with local limits made visible.
Los Angeles local layer
Planned. City-specific information will publish only after the responsible agency sources are checked and affected-property tests are complete.
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The California rules people actually search for.
21-day itemization and return
The final package: the remaining balance, the itemized statement, the photograph and receipt rules, and the 14-day follow-up a good-faith estimate creates.
Open the final-accounting guide →Security-deposit limit
One month's rent in general, with a narrow two-month branch that turns on the landlord's legal form and portfolio rather than the size of your building.
Open the deposit-limit guide →Initial inspection before move-out
The pre-move-out inspection: no earlier than two weeks before the end, 48 hours' notice, and a written chance to fix what the landlord lists.
Open the inspection guide →Why location matters
A California address can change the next question.
California has extensive statewide renter protections, while some cities and counties add rent stabilization, just-cause eviction, or relocation rules. Property age, unit count, ownership, and subsidy status can also matter.
The first release does not claim to resolve every local overlay. It separates statewide information from local questions so a guide does not imply broader coverage than its sources support.