Security for a rental agreement
Primary state source for deposit limits, inspections, deductions, documentation, photographs, and return of the balance.
California / Final deposit accounting
California security deposit: the 21-day return and itemization deadline
California generally requires the landlord to deliver an itemized disposition and the remaining security no later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates. That package is more than a refund check: the current statewide rule connects the remaining deposit, the itemized statement, delivery choices, charge documents, and—in covered repair or cleaning deductions—photographs, and a good-faith estimate creates a later 14-day follow-up rather than ending the record.
Understand the branch
Audit the final package in the order the statute uses.
- 01
Confirm the vacancy date before counting
The statute generally sets the final disposition no later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates. Preserve the actual possession-return facts rather than assuming the lease end, key return, or notice date automatically controls.
- 02
Match the balance and statement to their delivery rules
The remaining deposit and itemized statement are related but have distinct delivery branches. Written agreements, electronic rent or deposit payments, multiple adult tenants, and the address or account supplied by the tenant can affect the permitted method.
- 03
Match each deduction to its supporting record
Landlord or employee labor should identify the work, time, and reasonable hourly rate. Outside work and materials generally call for bills, invoices, receipts, vendor information, or another qualifying cost record. Covered repair and cleaning deductions also carry current photograph requirements.
- 04
Treat a good-faith estimate as an open item
When work cannot reasonably finish, or documents are not available, within 21 days, the statute permits a good-faith estimate in defined circumstances. The record should then track the later documents, generally due within 14 calendar days after completion or receipt.
- 05
Check the small-deduction and waiver branches carefully
The detailed charge-document rules have limited exceptions, including repairs and cleaning totaling no more than $125 and a timing-specific written waiver. A tenant's timely documentation request can activate a separate 14-day response duty even when an exception initially applied.
Evidence checklist
Preserve the complete final-disposition package.
- Lease, termination notices, move-out date, and possession-return evidence
- Forwarding address, email, electronic-return designation, and delivery agreements
- Deposit amount, refund or electronic transfer, and itemized statement
- Move-in, pre-repair, and post-repair photographs with dates and access details
- Employee work description, time, and hourly rate
- Contractor bills, invoices, receipts, and provider contact information
- Materials receipts, vendor price lists, or other qualifying cost records
- Good-faith estimate and the later documents sent after work or records arrived
- Any waiver and any written request for supporting documentation
Primary authority
Check the official source.
Open official source
California Courts: Guide to security deposits
Official Judicial Branch guide explaining common deposit questions and options after a dispute.
Coverage: the statewide final-disposition and supporting-document framework in Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 as effective in 2026. This guide does not decide the vacancy date, whether a deduction is lawful or reasonable, whether an exception or waiver is effective, or what remedy applies.
Next step
Work out your deadline and build your deposit file.
Confirm the date you vacated and the workspace counts the 21st day for you, applying the Code of Civil Procedure sections 12 and 12a extension when that day lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or judicial holiday. It shows the unadjusted date next to the adjusted one, names the fact behind the result, and builds an evidence index and a written request for the itemized statement.
The workspace runs in your browser on this device. Your entries stay in tab memory and are lost on refresh or close, they are never sent to a server, and only facts you check are allowed to produce a date.
Open the California deposit workspaceContinue the record
Related security-deposit guides.
California initial inspection
Preserve the earlier offer, request, inspection, proposed deductions, and opportunity to remedy.
Open guideCalifornia deposit limit
Separate what could be collected at move-in from what happened in the final accounting.
Open guideCalifornia security-deposit overview
Return to the statewide sequence and connect the final package to the broader record.
Open guide