Security for a rental agreement
Primary state source for deposit limits, inspections, deductions, documentation, photographs, and return of the balance.
California / Deposit limit
California security-deposit limit: 1 month's rent, or 2 for a small landlord
For security demanded or collected on or after July 1, 2024, California generally limits security to 1 month's rent in addition to first-month rent, and a narrow branch may allow up to 2 months for a qualifying small landlord — a branch that does not apply when the prospective tenant is a service member. Which branch you are in turns on the collection date and on the landlord's legal form and portfolio, not on the size of your building.
Understand the branch
Test the general rule before the exception.
- 01
Confirm what counts as security
Record each amount demanded or collected at the start of the tenancy and its stated purpose. Keep first month's rent and other charges visible instead of relying only on the label used in the lease.
- 02
Anchor the collection date
The one-month rule applies to security demanded or collected on or after July 1, 2024. Preserve the demand, payment date, tenancy start, and any later increase or replacement payment.
- 03
Document the small-landlord facts
The two-month branch is limited to a landlord who is a natural person or an LLC whose members are all natural persons and who owns no more than two residential rental properties with no more than four dwelling units offered for rent.
- 04
Check servicemember status
The small-landlord exception does not apply when the tenant is a servicemember. Preserve the facts and documents relevant to that status instead of assuming the higher cap applies.
Evidence checklist
Capture the facts that select the cap.
- Lease, deposit clause, payment demand, and receipts
- Monthly rent when the security was demanded or collected
- Payment dates and any later deposit increase or replacement
- Name and legal form of the landlord shown in the lease
- Property and unit ownership information available to the tenant
- Written statements about a claimed small-landlord exception
- Documents relevant to servicemember status
- Local program, subsidized-housing, or special-tenancy records
Primary authority
Check the official source.
Open official source
Coverage: the statewide deposit-limit branches in Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 for security demanded or collected on or after July 1, 2024. This guide does not determine ownership facts, servicemember status, historical-version questions, local overlays, or the legal treatment of every payment label.
Next step
Work out your deadline and build your deposit file.
Enter the collection date, the monthly rent, and what you know about the landlord's ownership, and the workspace shows which cap applies and the dollar figure it produces — or says plainly which fact is still missing instead of guessing. Add your vacate date and it also counts the 21-day return deadline and builds your deposit file.
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.
Initial inspection before move-out
Document the offer, request, inspection, statement, and repair opportunity before the tenancy ends.
Open guideCalifornia security-deposit overview
See how the cap fits with inspection, deductions, documentation, and return of the balance.
Open guide