California Security Deposit Return Letter: Free Template and Generator for Landlords
When you return a tenant's security deposit in California, Civil Code § 1950.5 sets a 21-calendar-day deadline that runs from the day the tenant vacates, and the itemized statement rarely travels alone: when repair and cleaning deductions pass $125, the receipts, the photographs, and a written cost explanation must go out along with and at the same time as the statement. This page gives you the letter and the package around it: sample text you can copy, a free generator that fills it in from your facts, and the statute behind every line. Statutes verified July 4, 2026.
This page is for landlords preparing the refund and itemization. If you are a tenant looking for a demand letter, this is not that page.
Sample security deposit return letter (California)
Three versions of the California letter, generated by the same engine as the tool below: a partial refund carrying the documentation package, a full refund, and a good-faith estimate statement for when the final bills have not arrived. Replace the bracketed placeholders, keep the itemization honest, and review everything before you sign.
Itemized letter with deductions and the documentation package (partial refund)
Repair and cleaning deductions here total $335, past the $125 documentation gate, so the letter's enclosure notations carry the vendor's invoice and the photographs with the statement (§ 1950.5(h)(2)). The self-performed cleaning row states the time spent and the hourly rate on its face, which § 1950.5(h)(2)(A) requires of the statement itself.
Re: Your security deposit at [Rental property address]
This letter is the itemized statement of your security deposit for the rental at [Rental property address], following the end of your tenancy.
Your security deposit was $2,500.00. I have deducted the amounts itemized below, with a description of each.
| Deduction | Amount |
|---|---|
| Repair 2-inch gouge in bedroom door | $215.00 |
| Cleaning to return the kitchen and bathrooms to the same level of cleanliness as at the inception of the tenancy (3 hr at $40.00/hr, performed by landlord) | $120.00 |
| Total deductions | $335.00 |
The remaining balance of $2,165.00 is enclosed with this letter.
If you have any questions about this statement, you can reach me at the address above.
California Civil Code section 1950.5: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.
Full refund letter (no deductions)
No deductions, no package. The statement and the refund still travel together, within 21 calendar days of the tenant vacating.
Re: Your security deposit at [Rental property address]
This letter confirms the return of your security deposit for the rental at [Rental property address], following the end of your tenancy.
Your security deposit was $2,500.00, and I have not made any deductions.
Your full deposit of $2,500.00 is enclosed with this letter.
If you have any questions about this statement, you can reach me at the address above.
California Civil Code section 1950.5: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.
Good-faith estimate letter (vendor documents pending)
When a vendor's final bill has not arrived within the 21 days, § 1950.5(h)(3) lets the statement carry a good-faith estimate. The row is labeled as one, the vendor's name, address, and telephone number print on the statement (required when the trigger is pending documents), the total is marked estimated, and the letter commits to a final statement within 14 calendar days of receiving the documents. In this sample the pending repair sits under the $125 gate; when repair and cleaning deductions exceed $125, the final statement must also carry the full documentation package.
Re: Your security deposit at [Rental property address]
This letter is the itemized statement of your security deposit for the rental at [Rental property address], following the end of your tenancy.
Your security deposit was $2,500.00. I have deducted the amounts itemized below, with a description of each.
| Deduction | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unpaid June rent | $1,200.00 |
| Replace cracked windowpane in living room (work by Valley Glass Co., 210 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 555-0142; good-faith estimate) | $115.00 |
| Total deductions (estimated) | $1,315.00 |
The remaining balance of $1,185.00 is enclosed with this letter.
One or more amounts above are good-faith estimates, as California Civil Code section 1950.5(h)(3) permits when a repair by the landlord or the landlord’s employee cannot reasonably be completed, or final bills have not arrived, within 21 calendar days. Within 14 calendar days of the repair being completed or the documents being received, I will send you a final statement with the completed documentation.
You may request copies of the documents showing the repair and cleaning charges within 14 calendar days of receiving this statement, and I will provide them within 14 calendar days of your request, as California Civil Code section 1950.5(h)(5) provides.
If you have any questions about this statement, you can reach me at the address above.
California Civil Code section 1950.5: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.
Generate this letter free
The free California deposit tool computes your exact 21-day deadline from your dates, does the deduction math, builds the enclosure checklist, and produces this letter with your facts filled in. No sign-up, no watermark, no charge, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
What § 1950.5(h)(1) requires the statement to say
The content floor comes from one sentence of the statute:
No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises, but not earlier than the time that either the landlord or the tenant provides a notice to terminate the tenancy under Section 1946 or 1946.1, Section 1161 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or not earlier than 60 calendar days prior to the expiration of a fixed-term lease, the landlord shall furnish the tenant, a copy of an itemized statement indicating the basis for, and the amount of, any security received and the disposition of the security, and shall return any remaining portion of the security to the tenant as follows: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)
Working through that text, a compliant statement needs:
- The security received: the amount being accounted for, whatever the lease called it.
- The basis for, and the amount of, every deduction: specific enough that the tenant can tell what happened ("repair 2-inch gouge in bedroom door", not "repairs").
- The disposition of the security, with any remaining portion returned with the statement, not after it.
That is the whole format mandate, which is to say there is none: no signature requirement, no letterhead, no prescribed layout. The letter on this page is a convention that presents the required content clearly, and we would rather tell you that than dress a convention up as law.
What the deductions themselves may cover is its own question with exactly four statutory answers: unpaid rent, repair of tenant-caused damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, cleaning to return the unit to its move-in level of cleanliness, and, only when the rental agreement authorizes it, remedying future defaults on restoring or returning personal property (§ 1950.5(b)(1) to (4)), each limited to an amount reasonably necessary for the purpose (§ 1950.5(e)(1)). The damage-versus-wear line is the most disputed issue in deposit cases, and it has its own page: normal wear and tear vs. damage in California. You decide what to claim; this page and the generator never classify your specific deduction.
The letter is a package: what must travel with the statement
When repair and cleaning deductions together exceed $125, the supporting documents are not a follow-up. The statute makes them part of the same mailing:
(2) The landlord shall also include, along with and at the same time the itemized statement is sent, copies of documents showing charges incurred and deducted by the landlord to repair or clean the premises, as follows: (A) If the landlord or landlord's employee did the work, the itemized statement shall reasonably describe the work performed. The itemized statement shall include the time spent and the reasonable hourly rate charged. (B) If the landlord or landlord's employee did not do the work, the landlord shall provide the tenant a copy of the bill, invoice, or receipt supplied by the person or entity performing the work. The itemized statement shall provide the tenant with the name, address, and telephone number of the person or entity, if the bill, invoice, or receipt does not include that information. (C) If a deduction is made for materials or supplies, the landlord shall provide a copy of the bill, invoice, or receipt. If a particular material or supply item is purchased by the landlord on an ongoing basis, the landlord may document the cost of the item by providing a copy of a bill, invoice, receipt, vendor price list, or other vendor document that reasonably documents the cost of the item used in the repair or cleaning of the unit. (D) If a deduction is made for repairs or cleanings allowed by this section, the landlord shall provide photographs taken pursuant to subdivision (g), along with a written explanation of the cost of the allowable repairs or cleanings, as described in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive. The landlord may provide such photographs to the tenant by mail, email, computer flash drive, or by providing a link where the tenant may view the photographs online. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(2)
In practice, that breaks into four pieces:
- Your own labor ((A)): the statement itself must reasonably describe the work and state the time spent and a reasonable hourly rate. The sample above prints those figures in the deduction row.
- Vendor work ((B)): a copy of the vendor's bill, invoice, or receipt goes in the envelope, and the vendor's name, address, and telephone number go on the statement when the document itself lacks them.
- Materials and supplies ((C)): a copy of the bill, invoice, or receipt; for items bought in bulk on an ongoing basis, a vendor price list or similar document showing the cost is enough.
- Photographs and the written cost explanation ((D)): when the package applies, a repair or cleaning deduction also requires the subdivision (g) photographs, with a written explanation of the cost, deliverable by mail, email, computer flash drive, or an online link.
The documentation duty covers repair and cleaning charges only. Unpaid rent carries no receipt duty and does not count toward the $125 test.
The $125 gate, the waiver window, and the revival right
Section 1950.5(h)(4)(A) excuses the documentation package and the estimate mechanics when the deductions for repairs and cleaning together do not exceed $125. The excuse reaches only those two paragraphs: the itemized statement and the 21-day deadline still fully apply.
The tenant can also waive the documentation rights, but § 1950.5(h)(4)(B) polices the timing: the waiver is effective only if signed at the same time as or after a termination notice, or no earlier than 60 calendar days before a fixed-term lease expires, and it must substantially include the text of the documentation paragraph. A waiver buried in the original lease is void, and under Civ. Code § 1953(a)(1) every other right under the deposit statute is unwaivable by lease; the (h)(4)(B) waiver is the only one the statute authorizes.
Neither the $125 exemption nor a valid waiver is permanent:
(5) Notwithstanding paragraph (4), the landlord shall comply with paragraphs (2) and (3) when a tenant makes a request for documentation within 14 calendar days after receiving the itemized statement specified in paragraph (1). The landlord shall comply within 14 calendar days after receiving the request from the tenant. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(5)
So even when exempt, keep everything: the duty can come back on a 14-day request, and the landlord who kept the receipts, invoices, and photographs is the one who can answer it.
Two 14-day clocks that share nothing but a number
If a repair to be done by the landlord or the landlord's employee cannot reasonably be completed within 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises, or if the documents from a person or entity providing services, materials, or supplies are not in the landlord's possession within 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises, the landlord may deduct the amount of a good faith estimate of the charges that will be incurred and provide that estimate with the itemized statement. If the reason for the estimate is because the documents from a person or entity providing services, materials, or supplies are not in the landlord's possession, the itemized statement shall include the name, address, and telephone number of the person or entity. Within 14 calendar days of completing the repair or receiving the documentation, the landlord shall complete the requirements in paragraphs (1) and (2) in the manner specified. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(3)
That is the first clock, and it belongs to the landlord. Putting an estimate on the statement commits the landlord to a second, final statement with the completed documentation within 14 calendar days of completing the repair or receiving the documents. The estimate sample above prints that commitment in as many words.
The second clock is § 1950.5(h)(5)'s, and the tenant starts it: a request for documentation made within 14 calendar days of receiving the statement revives the full documentation duty, and the landlord must comply within 14 calendar days of receiving the request. The two clocks are different duties with different triggers, one landlord-side and automatic, one tenant-initiated; a letter or a workflow that conflates them gets both wrong.
Photographs: two date gates, one sequence
(1) For tenancies that begin on or after July 1, 2025, the landlord shall take photographs of the unit immediately before, or at the inception of, the tenancy. (2) Beginning April 1, 2025, the landlord shall take photographs of the unit within a reasonable time after the possession of the unit is returned to the landlord, but prior to any repairs or cleanings for which the landlord will make a deduction from or claim against the security deposit pursuant to this section, and shall also take photographs of the unit within a reasonable time after such repairs or cleanings are completed. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(g)(1)–(2)
Read the two gates precisely, because they key on different dates. The move-in set is required for tenancies that begin on or after July 1, 2025, keyed to the tenancy start date; earlier tenancies were never required to have one. The move-out and post-repair sets are required whenever possession is returned on or after April 1, 2025, keyed to the possession date, for every tenancy no matter when it began. The sequence in (g)(2) is part of the rule: possession back, then photographs, and only then the repairs or cleanings that will be charged against the deposit.
When a repair or cleaning deduction is made and the documentation package applies (repair and cleaning deductions over $125, or a tenant's 14-day request), § 1950.5(h)(2)(D) requires those photographs to be provided with the statement, by mail, email, computer flash drive, or an online link. At or under $125 that attachment is excused (our reading), but the (g) duty to take the photographs still applies, and sending them anyway is the safe course. The statute sets no format, count, or timestamp requirements for the photographs themselves.
How to send it: delivery, the refund, and the missing address
(B) (i) Subject to subparagraph (C), and except as provided by clause (ii), the landlord shall furnish the itemized statement by personal delivery or first-class mail, postage prepaid. (ii) Upon mutual agreement between the landlord and tenant entered into at the commencement of the tenancy or at any time during or after the tenancy, the itemized statement may be furnished by either of the following: (I) Emailed to an account provided by the tenant. (II) Mailed to an address provided by the tenant by first-class mail, postage prepaid. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)(B)
Personal delivery or first-class mail, postage prepaid: those are the statutory methods for the statement. Email works only on mutual agreement, which the statute allows to be made at the start of the tenancy or at any time during or after it. The statute does not say that agreement must be in writing; keeping a written record of it is practice guidance, labeled as such.
The refund itself has its own rules under § 1950.5(h)(1)(A). The default is personal delivery or a check mailed first-class. But if the landlord ever received the security or rent electronically (Zelle, Venmo, ACH, a payment portal), the remainder must be returned electronically, to a bank account the tenant designates in writing or by an electronic method the tenant agrees to in writing, unless landlord and tenant designate another method by written agreement, such as a mailed check. The statute also requires advance written notice of the tenant's right to an electronic refund in most ordinary move-outs (§ 1950.5(h)(1)(A)(ii)(II)).
A missing forwarding address changes the destination, never the deadline: § 1950.5(h)(6) sends mailings to the address the tenant provided, and if none was provided, to the unit that has been vacated. One more honesty note: California has no postmark statute for this deadline, so whether mailing on day 21 suffices is unsettled. Sending a few days early is practice guidance, not statute, and worth exactly that framing.
Multiple tenants: one check, payable to all of them
(C) (i) Except as provided in clause (iii) and unless the landlord and all adult tenants residing in the unit enter into a written mutual agreement pursuant to clause (ii), if multiple adult tenants reside in the unit, the landlord shall return the remainder of the security by a check made payable to all adult tenants on the rental or lease agreement at the time the tenancy terminates and furnish the itemized statement by personal delivery or first-class mail, postage prepaid, to any one of the adult tenants chosen by the landlord. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)(C)
In California this is a statutory command, not a courtesy. Absent a written mutual agreement with all adult tenants, the check is payable to all adult tenants on the lease at the time the tenancy terminates, and the statement goes to any one of them the landlord chooses. A tenant who terminated under Civ. Code § 1946.7 (domestic violence and related grounds) may request a different disbursement.
What happens if you get it wrong
The bad faith claim or retention by a landlord or the landlord's successors in interest of the security or any portion thereof in violation of this section, or the bad faith demand of replacement of security in violation of subdivision (k), may subject the landlord or the landlord's successors in interest to statutory damages of up to twice the amount of the security, in addition to actual damages. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(m)
Three things in subdivision (m) deserve a careful read:
- The award is discretionary and capped, not automatic. "May" and "up to" do the work: on a finding of bad faith, a court may award statutory damages of up to twice the amount of the security, in addition to actual damages. There is no fixed multiple, no flat add-on, and no attorney-fee provision anywhere in § 1950.5.
- The court can act unprompted. The second sentence of (m) lets the court award bad-faith damages whenever the facts warrant, whether or not the tenant asked for them.
- The reasonableness burden is the landlord's. In any action under the section, the landlord bears the burden of proof as to the reasonableness of the amounts claimed. That applies in every case, not only late ones.
AB 2801 added a second stick, operative January 1, 2025:
The landlord shall not be entitled to claim any amount of the security if the landlord, in bad faith, fails to comply with this subdivision. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(7)
Good faith matters on the other side too. In Granberry v. Islay Investments (1995) 9 Cal.4th 738, the California Supreme Court held that a good-faith failure to comply with the return-and-account duty does not bar a landlord from recovering unpaid rent, repairs, and cleaning; the landlord loses the summary deduct-and-retain procedure and must prove entitlement, and reasonableness, in court. A missed deadline is not automatic forfeiture, and it is not safe either. Returning and accounting on time, with the package complete, avoids the whole question.
Frequently asked questions
Can I email the itemized statement to the tenant?
Only by mutual agreement. The statutory delivery methods are personal delivery or first-class mail, postage prepaid (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)(B)). On mutual agreement between landlord and tenant, made at the start of the tenancy or at any time during or after it, the statement may instead be emailed to an account the tenant provides. The statute does not say the agreement must be in writing; documenting it in writing is practice guidance, not a statutory requirement.
What if the repairs are not finished within the 21 days?
Section 1950.5(h)(3) answers this directly: if a repair by the landlord or the landlord’s employee cannot reasonably be completed within 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated, or vendor documents have not arrived within that window, the landlord may deduct a good-faith estimate and provide that estimate with the itemized statement. When the reason is pending documents, the vendor’s name, address, and telephone number must appear on the statement. A final statement with the completed documentation is then due within 14 calendar days of completing the repair or receiving the documents.
Do I need receipts if the deductions are $125 or less?
When repair and cleaning deductions together do not exceed $125, § 1950.5(h)(4)(A) excuses the documentation package and the estimate mechanics; the itemized statement and the 21-day deadline still fully apply. The exemption is not permanent: under § 1950.5(h)(5), a tenant who requests documentation within 14 calendar days of receiving the statement revives the full duty, and the landlord must comply within 14 calendar days of receiving the request. Keeping every receipt, invoice, and photograph even when exempt is what makes that revival answerable.
Is a photograph actually required?
Two duties, two different date gates. For tenancies that began on or after July 1, 2025, § 1950.5(g)(1) requires photographs of the unit immediately before, or at the inception of, the tenancy. For any tenancy where possession was returned on or after April 1, 2025, no matter when the tenancy began, § 1950.5(g)(2) requires photographs after possession is returned but before any repair or cleaning that will be charged to the deposit, and again after that work is completed. And when a repair or cleaning deduction is made, § 1950.5(h)(2)(D) requires the photographs to be provided with the statement, by mail, email, computer flash drive, or an online link.
Several tenants were on the lease. Can I write one check to just one of them?
The statutory default is the opposite. With multiple adult tenants residing in the unit, § 1950.5(h)(1)(C) directs the landlord to return the remainder by a check made payable to all adult tenants on the rental or lease agreement at the time the tenancy terminates, and to furnish the itemized statement to any one of the adult tenants chosen by the landlord. A written mutual agreement between the landlord and all adult tenants can set a different arrangement, and a tenant who terminated under Civ. Code § 1946.7 (domestic violence and related grounds) may request a different disbursement.
What if the tenant never gave me a forwarding address?
The 21-day clock runs anyway. Under § 1950.5(h)(6), mailings go to the address the tenant provided, and if the tenant provided none, they go to the unit that has been vacated. Mailing the statement and refund to the vacated unit satisfies the statute. This is a real difference from states where the duty waits for an address; in California it never does.
What happens if I am late?
Good faith and bad faith get different answers, and the California Supreme Court has addressed the good-faith case. In Granberry v. Islay Investments (1995) 9 Cal.4th 738, the court held that a good-faith failure to comply with the return-and-account duty does not bar a landlord from recovering unpaid rent, repairs, and cleaning; the landlord loses the summary deduct-and-retain procedure and must prove the claims, and their reasonableness, in court. Bad faith is a different matter: § 1950.5(h)(7) strips a landlord who in bad faith fails to comply with the return-and-account subdivision of any claim to the security, and § 1950.5(m) allows a court to award statutory damages of up to twice the amount of the security, in addition to actual damages. Nothing in the section makes lateness alone bad faith, and nothing makes a late return safe.
Do I have to refund the deposit electronically?
Sometimes the statute requires it. If the landlord ever received the security or rental payments electronically (Zelle, Venmo, ACH, a payment portal), § 1950.5(h)(1)(A)(ii) requires the remainder to be returned electronically, to a bank account the tenant designates in writing or by an electronic method the tenant agrees to in writing, unless landlord and tenant designate another method, such as a mailed check, by written agreement. Otherwise the default is personal delivery or a check mailed first-class. The statute also requires advance written notice of the tenant’s right to an electronic refund in most ordinary move-outs (§ 1950.5(h)(1)(A)(ii)(II)).
Does the letter need a signature, letterhead, or a particular format?
No. Section 1950.5(h)(1) sets a content floor: the statement must show the security received, the basis for and amount of every deduction, and the disposition of the security, and any remaining portion must be returned with it. The statute mandates no signature, no letterhead, and no layout. The format on this page is a convention that presents the required content clearly; it is not itself a legal requirement.
About this page
Every rule above is cited to the California statute it comes from, and the quotes are verbatim, including the enacted text's own drafting quirks. Statutes verified July 4, 2026. Primary source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 (official, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov). Read how we verify the law. This page is general information for landlords, not legal advice; Deposit Record is not a law firm, and using this page or the generator creates no attorney-client relationship. For advice about your situation, talk to a licensed California attorney.