Start with enacted law
Statutes, regulations, ordinances, court rules, and official agency materials anchor the proposition.
Trust / Sources
Every legal statement needs an address of its own.
We identify the jurisdiction, authority, retrieval date, product use, and limitations behind public legal information. Draft research does not drive calculations or generated assertions.
Source standard
What must be true before information publishes.
Record dates and versions
Each authority carries retrieval and review dates. Effective-date questions must be resolved before a rule drives a workflow.
State the coverage
A page identifies the place and topic it covers and flags known property, program, or local-law limitations.
Exercise every branch
Calculated rules require applicable, inapplicable, exception, missing-fact, and effective-date boundary fixtures.
Current register
Authorities used in this release.
Deposit money or advance rent; duty of landlord and tenant
Primary state source for deposit handling, notices, objections, and the renter’s forwarding-address responsibilities.
Electronic delivery of notices
Primary state source for when a landlord and tenant may elect to deliver certain notices by email.
Fee in lieu of security deposit
Primary state source for optional fees offered instead of a security deposit and required disclosures.
Security for a rental agreement
Primary state source for deposit limits, inspections, deductions, documentation, photographs, and return of the balance.
California Courts: Guide to security deposits
Official Judicial Branch guide explaining common deposit questions and options after a dispute.
California Department of Real Estate tenant guide
Official 2026 statewide guide to landlord-tenant responsibilities; secondary explanation rather than binding authority.