{ "meta": { "name": "Deposit Record ruleset: California", "description": "The verified California security-deposit rules that https://deposit.orygn.tech/california is built from: each rule as a machine payload, its plain-English summary, its exact citation, the verbatim text of its source where quoted (sourceType says when that is not statute text), the official source URL it was verified against, and the date a human last checked it.", "state": "CA", "page": "https://deposit.orygn.tech/california", "dataUrl": "https://deposit.orygn.tech/data/california.json", "lastReviewed": "2026-07-04", "citeAs": "Deposit Record, California Security Deposit Return (verified July 4, 2026), https://deposit.orygn.tech/california", "publisher": { "name": "Orygn LLC", "url": "https://orygn.tech/" }, "license": "CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): free to reuse and quote with attribution to Deposit Record and a link to the page. The statutes themselves are public law.", "disclaimer": "General information, not legal advice. Every rule cites the source it was verified against; rely on the source, and on a lawyer for your situation.", "fields": { "summary": "plain-English statement of the rule, as rendered on the page", "value": "the machine payload the calculator uses (days, triggers, caps, multipliers); its keys are named for what they hold and explained by the summary", "citation": "exact pin-cite for the rule: a statute, an enacting act, a case or agency guidance (see sourceType)", "statuteQuote": "verbatim text quoted from the document at sourceUrl. Despite the name, not every quote is statute text: sourceType says what it is. An automated weekly check compares each quote with its source.", "statuteQuoteCitation": "pin-cite for statuteQuote alone, when the quote is narrower than the rule's citation", "sourceType": "what statuteQuote is. Absent or 'codified': codified statute text. 'session-law': a clause of the enacting act that was never codified. 'case': a court's words. 'agency': an agency's reading of the statute, which shows how the law is enforced in practice but is not what the statute says.", "sourceUrl": "the official source the rule was verified against, and where its quote is found. Some official hosts block automated clients.", "readableUrl": "an unofficial, easier-to-read copy of the same text, for people; rely on sourceUrl", "derivation": "'verbatim' for a literal statutory rule; 'synthesized' for our reading across sections, which the page labels as our interpretation. Absent means the rule is not labelled either way.", "effectiveDate": "when the rule's current text took effect, recorded as provenance. Read effectiveDateIsFloor before using it.", "effectiveDateIsFloor": "true means effectiveDate is only the earliest date we could prove this text was already in force. The real effective date is earlier and unverified, so do not present it as 'effective '.", "lastVerified": "the date a human last checked this rule against sourceUrl", "confidence": "'high', 'medium' or 'low': our confidence in the rule as stated", "amendedBy": "the most recent notable amending act", "notes": "traps and edge cases, as rendered on the page" }, "stateFields": { "stateCode": "two-letter state code", "stateName": "state name", "slug": "the state page is https://deposit.orygn.tech/{slug}", "lastReviewed": "when a human last reviewed this ruleset as a whole. Single rules are re-verified between reviews, so a rule's lastVerified can be later.", "summary": "plain-English summary of the state's return rules, as on the page", "letterFooter": "the source line printed at the foot of the generated letter", "cities": "city-level records; see meta.cityFields", "localLaw": "the state's position on local deposit rules. preempted is true only where a statute forecloses them, and citation then carries it; summary says what we have and have not read.", "sources": "the primary sources the page is built on", "pendingLegislation": "law signed but not yet in force (status 'enacted-not-in-force') or a bill a reader deciding today should know about ('pending'). The rule objects describe the law as it stands; this is the one forward-looking field. citySlug is set when the act is a city ordinance.", "stabilized": "New York only: the separate Gen. Oblig. Law 7-107 rules for rent-stabilized units, which reach leases entered into on or after appliesToLeasesFromISO. Each member that has a citation is a rule object." }, "cityFields": { "city": "city name", "citySlug": "stable machine key for the city", "applies": "true if the city adds a rule on top of state law. false is an explicit record that we found no city rule, and only for the kinds of rule listed in checkedFor.", "summary": "plain-English statement of the city rule, as rendered on the page", "coverageQuestion": "asked before any city math: whether the ordinance covers this rental at all. Absent means it applies citywide.", "interest": "the city deposit-interest rule and its rate data (machine payload)", "cap": "a city ceiling on the deposit. Absent means not recorded, which is not the same as none: see checkedFor.", "checkedFor": "the kinds of deposit rule we actually searched for in this city ('interest', 'cap', 'deadline', 'itemization'). A row says nothing about kinds it does not list.", "citation": "exact pin-cite for the city rule", "sourceUrl": "the official source the city rule was verified against", "lastVerified": "the date a human last checked this city rule against sourceUrl", "confidence": "'high', 'medium' or 'low': our confidence in the city rule as stated", "notes": "what to re-check and where the rule stops, as rendered on the page" }, "schema": "Every published key is described here: meta.fields for rule objects, meta.stateFields for the other keys of rules, meta.cityFields for each entry of rules.cities. Every key of rules not in meta.stateFields is one rule object, named for what it governs (deadline, cap, penalty and so on).", "version": "465c340", "dataHash": "50d4e9567d684038", "about": "version is the git commit these files were built from, ending in -dirty if the tree had uncommitted changes. dataHash is a fingerprint of a state's rules object and changes when, and only when, that object changes: poll it, not version or lastReviewed, to detect new data." }, "rules": { "stateCode": "CA", "stateName": "California", "slug": "california", "lastReviewed": "2026-07-04", "summary": "California landlords must furnish an itemized statement and return the remaining security within 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates. The clock runs whether or not the tenant leaves a forwarding address; with no address on file, the mailing goes to the vacated unit itself. A landlord who charges for any repair or cleaning must photograph the work before and after, and when repair and cleaning deductions top $125, the receipts, invoices, and those photographs must be sent with the statement. Deposits are capped at one month's rent no matter how the money is labeled (two months for qualifying small landlords). For bad-faith retention a court may award up to twice the amount of the security, in addition to actual damages.", "letterFooter": { "label": "California Civil Code section 1950.5", "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5." }, "deadline": { "summary": "Furnish the itemized statement and return the remaining deposit no later than 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated. One event starts the clock: the tenant vacating. A missing forwarding address does not pause it.", "value": { "days": 21, "dayType": "calendar", "triggerBasis": "single", "triggerEvents": [ "vacate" ], "suspendUntilForwardingAddress": false }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)", "statuteQuote": "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:", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 414 (Stats. 2025, ch. 340)", "notes": "The stray comma in \"furnish the tenant, a copy\" is in the enacted text (an AB 414 drafting artifact); it is reproduced exactly, not a transcription error. The 21-day period and the vacate trigger are long-standing; AB 414 restated the subdivision effective January 1, 2026. The statement may be sent early, but not before a termination notice is given nor more than 60 calendar days before a fixed-term lease expires. Counting follows Code of Civil Procedure §§ 12 and 12a: the vacate date is excluded, day 21 is the deadline, and a deadline landing on a Saturday, Sunday, or California judicial holiday extends to the next court day. No published case squarely applies that roll-forward to this section, so the tool presents it as statutory computation and still recommends acting by the nominal 21st day. California has no postmark-presumption statute for this deadline; whether mailing on day 21 suffices is unsettled, so build in a buffer (practice guidance, not statute). AB 2801 relettered this subdivision effective January 1, 2025; pre-2025 sources cite the old letter, which now designates the photographs subdivision." }, "forwardingAddress": { "summary": "No forwarding address is required to start or keep the 21-day clock running. If the tenant provides no address, the statement and refund are mailed to the unit the tenant vacated, and the statute is satisfied.", "value": { "required": false, "mustBeWritten": false, "suspendsObligation": false, "forfeitsRightIfNotProvided": false }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(6)", "statuteQuote": "Any mailings to the tenant pursuant to this subdivision shall be sent to the address provided by the tenant. If the tenant does not provide an address, mailings pursuant to this subdivision shall be sent to the unit that has been vacated.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025 (relettering; the substance is older)", "notes": "This is a deliberate behavioral fork from Texas: in California the landlord's duty is never suspended while waiting for a forwarding address, and the deadline never moves because one is missing. Letters generated with no forwarding address use the vacated unit's own address as the mailing address and say why." }, "itemization": { "summary": "The itemized statement is mandatory and written: it must state the security received, the basis for and amount of every deduction, and the disposition of the security, and it travels with the refund of any remainder.", "value": { "required": true, "mustBeWritten": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)", "statuteQuote": "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:", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 414 (Stats. 2025, ch. 340)", "notes": "California has no Texas-style excuse from itemizing when rent is owed: the statement is due in every case. When repair or cleaning deductions exceed $125 the documentation package of § 1950.5(h)(2) must go out along with and at the same time as the statement (see receiptsPackage). No signature, letterhead, or format is mandated for the statement itself; this tool's layout is a convention, not a legal requirement, and the pages say so." }, "deductions": { "summary": "The deposit may be applied to exactly four purposes: 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 if the lease authorizes it, remedying future defaults on restoring or returning personal property. Only amounts reasonably necessary for those purposes may be claimed.", "value": { "allowed": [ "Compensation for the tenant's default in the payment of rent (§ 1950.5(b)(1))", "Repair of damages to the premises, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear, caused by the tenant or by a guest or licensee of the tenant (§ 1950.5(b)(2))", "Cleaning of the premises upon termination of the tenancy, necessary to return the unit to the same level of cleanliness it was in at the inception of the tenancy (§ 1950.5(b)(3))", "Remedying future defaults by the tenant in an obligation under the rental agreement to restore, replace, or return personal property or appurtenances, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear, only if the security deposit is authorized to be applied to that purpose by the rental agreement (§ 1950.5(b)(4))" ], "disallowed": [ "Damages or defective conditions that preexisted the tenancy (§ 1950.5(e)(2)(A))", "Ordinary wear and tear or the effects thereof, whether the wear and tear preexisted the tenancy or occurred during the tenancy (§ 1950.5(e)(2)(A))", "The cumulative effects of ordinary wear and tear occurring during any one or more tenancies (§ 1950.5(e)(2)(A))", "Restoration beyond a reasonable amount necessary to restore the premises to its condition at the inception of the tenancy; the deposit cannot fund upgrades or betterment (§ 1950.5(e)(2)(B))", "Professional carpet cleaning or other professional cleaning services, unless reasonably necessary to return the premises to its move-in condition (§ 1950.5(e)(2)(C))", "Any amount beyond what is reasonably necessary for the purposes of subdivision (b) (§ 1950.5(e)(1))" ], "documentationThresholdUsd": 125, "photosRequiredWhenDeducting": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(b), (e)", "statuteQuote": "(1) The compensation of a landlord for a tenant's default in the payment of rent. (2) The repair of damages to the premises, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear, caused by the tenant or by a guest or licensee of the tenant. (3) The cleaning of the premises upon termination of the tenancy necessary to return the unit to the same level of cleanliness it was in at the inception of the tenancy. The amendments to this paragraph enacted by the act adding this sentence shall apply only to tenancies for which the tenant's right to occupy begins after January 1, 2003. (4) To remedy future defaults by the tenant in any obligation under the rental agreement to restore, replace, or return personal property or appurtenances, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear, if the security deposit is authorized to be applied thereto by the rental agreement.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "The four purposes are exclusive: no reletting fees, no automatic make-ready charges. The (b)(4) future-defaults purpose is available only when the signed rental agreement expressly authorizes applying the deposit to it. § 1950.5(e)(1) limits every claim to \"only those amounts as are reasonably necessary\" for the (b) purposes: no flat fees, no percentages, no padding. The cleaning standard is comparative, not absolute: the unit must be returned to the same level of cleanliness it had at the inception of the tenancy. One point worth stating plainly: § 1950.5 uses \"ordinary wear and tear\" at least five times and never defines it, and no cross-referenced definition applies. Texas defines the term by statute; California does not, so this tool carries no wear definition and relies on the codified (e)(2) prohibitions plus DRE guidance, clearly labeled as guidance. The damage-versus-wear line is the most litigated issue and the tool never classifies a specific deduction for the user: it quotes the statute and the user decides." }, "interest": { "summary": "California state law does not require interest on residential security deposits. Some cities do require it by local ordinance; choose your city in the tool below to see whether one applies to your rental.", "value": { "required": false }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 (no state interest requirement)", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "The only uses of \"interest\" in § 1950.5 are in the property-law sense (a landlord's or successor's interest in the premises); the statute requires no interest on the deposit itself. Any deposit interest comes from a city ordinance, so when no covered city applies, the letter does not mention interest. The statute also imposes no escrow or separate-account requirement for the deposit." }, "cap": { "summary": "Security is capped at one month's rent no matter how the money is denominated: pet deposit, key deposit, last month's rent, and move-in fees all count toward the cap. Qualifying small landlords may hold up to two months' rent, except from service members. Security demanded or collected before July 1, 2024 is grandfathered.", "value": { "hasCap": true, "capMonths": 1, "smallLandlordCapMonths": 2, "serviceMemberCapMonths": 1, "grandfatherBeforeDate": "2024-07-01" }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)(1), (c)(5), (c)(6)", "statuteQuote": "Except as provided in paragraph (2), (3), or (5), a landlord shall not demand or receive security, however denominated, in an amount or value in excess of an amount equal to one month's rent, in addition to any rent for the first month paid on or before initial occupancy.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "SB 611 (Stats. 2024, Ch. 287); cap created by AB 12 (Stats. 2023, Ch. 733)", "notes": "The cap became operative July 1, 2024 (AB 12); the current wording is SB 611's, effective January 1, 2025. There are no furnished/unfurnished tiers. \"Security\" is defined broadly by the (b) chapeau: any payment, fee, deposit, or charge imposed at the start of the tenancy, with only § 1950.6 screening fees excluded, so everything must fit under the cap together. Small-landlord exception, § 1950.5(c)(5)(A): two conjunctive prongs, measured portfolio-wide: (i) the landlord is a natural person or an LLC in which all members are natural persons, and (ii) the landlord owns no more than two residential rental properties that collectively include no more than four dwelling units offered for rent. Under (c)(5)(C), \"natural person\" includes a settlor or beneficiary of a family trust (a revocable living trust or irrevocable trust whose settlors and beneficiaries are all close relatives). Under (c)(5)(B) the two-month exception never applies to a service member (defined by Mil. & Vet. Code § 400, not the federal SCRA), and a landlord may not refuse to rent to a service member to dodge that limit. Separately, § 1950.5(c)(4) (SB 611, operative April 1, 2025) governs charging a service member a HIGHER-than-standard security based on credit or housing history: it requires a written explanation on or before lease signing and return of the additional amount after no more than six months of residency if rent is current, with the return date stated in the lease. (c)(1) does not list (c)(4) as a cap exception, so our reading is that it operates within the one-month cap; some secondary sources misread it as authorizing above-cap deposits, and the text does not support that. Grandfathering under (c)(6) keys on when the security was demanded or collected, not the move-out date; our conservative reading is that any new post-July-2024 demand pushing the total over the cap triggers the warning. The cap is a demand-side prohibition: an over-cap deposit changes nothing about the return-side machinery, which always runs on the security actually held, and the statute attaches no specific penalty to over-collection. Over-cap is a warning in this tool, never a blocker." }, "penalty": { "summary": "Bad-faith retention of the deposit can cost up to twice the amount of the security as statutory damages, in addition to actual damages. The award is discretionary, never automatic, and the court may make it even if the tenant did not ask. Separately, a landlord who in bad faith fails to comply with the return-and-account subdivision forfeits the right to keep any of the deposit. In any action, the landlord bears the burden of proving the amounts claimed were reasonable.", "value": { "standard": "bad-faith", "badFaithFlatUsd": null, "multiplier": 2, "multiplierBase": "whole-deposit", "multiplierIsDiscretionaryCeiling": true, "attorneyFees": false, "forfeitureForFailureToItemize": true, "deadlinePresumptionDays": null, "burdenOnLandlord": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(m)", "statuteQuote": "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.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025 (relettering; the damages substance is older)", "notes": "The framing is always discretionary: \"may\" plus \"up to\", measured against the whole security, with no floor, no automatic award, no flat add-on, and no attorney-fee shifting anywhere in § 1950.5. It is never a fixed multiple; California has nothing like the Texas formula. The second sentence of (m) lets the court award bad-faith damages whenever the facts warrant, regardless of whether the injured party requested them. The third sentence puts the burden of proof on the landlord, but only as to the reasonableness of the amounts claimed (or the authority to demand additional security); it applies in every action, not just late ones, and the statute is silent on who proves bad faith. No provision of § 1950.5 treats a missed deadline, by itself, as bad faith; unlike Texas, California has no lateness presumption. Separately, § 1950.5(h)(7), added by AB 2801 and operative January 1, 2025, forfeits the deposit for a bad-faith failure to comply with the return-and-account duties; that is not a Texas-style itemization rule. On a good-faith miss, the controlling case is Granberry v. Islay Investments (1995) 9 Cal.4th 738: \"a good faith failure to comply with section 1950.5, subdivision (f), does not bar a landlord from recovering damages for unpaid rent, repairs, and cleaning\". The court was construing the section as lettered in 1995: the subdivision it names then housed the 21-day duty, which now lives at (h)(1), and the penalty now lives at (m); today's (f) is the initial-inspection subdivision. A landlord who misses the deadline in good faith loses the summary deduct-and-retain procedure and must prove entitlement and reasonableness in court, but does not automatically forfeit the deposit. A missed deadline is neither an automatic forfeiture nor a safe thing to do." }, "photos": { "summary": "Move-in photographs are required for tenancies beginning on or after July 1, 2025. For any tenancy where possession is returned on or after April 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit after getting possession back but BEFORE any repair or cleaning that will be charged to the deposit, and again after that work is completed.", "value": { "moveInFromTenancyStart": "2025-07-01", "moveOutFromPossessionReturn": "2025-04-01" }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(g)(1)–(2)", "statuteQuote": "(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.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025", "notes": "Two different date gates: the move-in set keys on the TENANCY START date (on or after 2025-07-01); the move-out and post-repair sets key on the POSSESSION-RETURNED date (on or after 2025-04-01) for all tenancies regardless of when they began. Landlords with pre-July-2025 tenancies were not required to take move-in photos and must not be told they were, but they carry an evidentiary gap since the landlord bears the (m) reasonableness burden. The (g)(2) sequence is enforced: possession, then photographs, and only then repairs or cleaning; work started before the photos draws a hard warning. \"Within a reasonable time\" is undefined; same-day is our recommended practice, labeled as such. Whether move-out photos are required when no deduction is made is textually ambiguous; the safest behavior, and our reading, is to always prompt for them. No format, count, or timestamp requirements exist. When a repair or cleaning deduction is made and the (h)(2) documentation package applies (repair and cleaning deductions together over $125, or a tenant's (h)(5) request), § 1950.5(h)(2)(D) requires the (g) photographs to be PROVIDED with the statement, deliverable by mail, email, computer flash drive, or an online link. At or under $125 that attachment is textually excused (our reading); the (g) duty to TAKE the photos still applies, and including them anyway is the safest practice. That delivery list for photos is unconditional even though the statement itself may travel by email only on mutual agreement, a statutory mismatch; our conservative default sends photos by the same channel the statement lawfully travels, or prints a link in the mailed statement (our reading)." }, "receiptsPackage": { "summary": "When repair and cleaning deductions together exceed $125, copies of the supporting documents must go out along with and at the same time as the itemized statement: work descriptions with time and hourly rate for the landlord's own labor, bills and invoices for vendors and materials, and the required photographs with a written cost explanation.", "value": { "thresholdUsd": 125 }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(2)", "statuteQuote": "(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.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025 (added subparagraph (D))", "notes": "The documentation duty covers repair and cleaning charges only; unpaid rent carries no receipt duty and does not count toward the $125 test. Under § 1950.5(h)(4)(A) the package (and the estimate mechanics of (h)(3)) are excused when repair and cleaning deductions together do not exceed $125, but the (h)(1) statement and the 21-day deadline still fully apply. The photo-ATTACHMENT duty in (h)(2)(D) is textually excused at or under $125, while the photo-TAKING duty in subdivision (g) is a different subdivision and still applies; treating the attachment as excused is our reading of the text, unconfirmed by any case or guidance. Either way, a tenant's § 1950.5(h)(5) request revives the full documentation duty, so keep everything." }, "estimateFlow": { "summary": "If a repair cannot reasonably be completed within the 21 days, or vendor documents have not arrived, the landlord may deduct a good-faith estimate and say so on the statement, then must deliver the final statement with full documentation within 14 calendar days of completing the repair or receiving the documents.", "value": { "finalWithinDays": 14 }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(3)", "statuteQuote": "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.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "Two triggers permit estimate mode within the 21 days: the landlord's own repair is reasonably unfinishable in time, or vendor documents are pending. When the trigger is pending documents, the vendor's name, address, and telephone number must appear on the statement. Estimate mode always requires a second, final statement with full documentation within 14 calendar days of completing the repair or receiving the documents. Refunding any overage when the estimate exceeded actuals is strongly implied by (h)(1)'s \"return any remaining portion\"; that is our reading. This landlord-side 14-day clock is distinct from the (h)(5) tenant-request 14-day clock; never conflate the two." }, "docWaiver": { "summary": "The tenant can waive the documentation package and estimate mechanics, but the waiver is valid only if signed at 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.", "value": { "windowDaysBeforeFixedTermEnd": 60 }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(4)(B)", "statuteQuote": "(B) The tenant waived the rights specified in paragraphs (2) and (3). The waiver shall only be effective if it is signed by the tenant at the same time or after a notice to terminate a tenancy under Section 1946 or 1946.1 has been given, a notice under Section 1161 of the Code of Civil Procedure has been given, or no earlier than 60 calendar days prior to the expiration of a fixed-term lease. The waiver shall substantially include the text of paragraph (2).", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "The waiver reaches only the (h)(2) documentation package and (h)(3) estimate mechanics; the itemized statement, the 21-day deadline, and every other duty survive it. Regardless of any waiver, the tenant's (h)(5) request revives the full documentation duty (see docRevival). This is the ONLY waiver § 1950.5 authorizes; every other right under the section is unwaivable by lease (see noWaiver), and the two concepts must never be blended in copy." }, "docRevival": { "summary": "Even when the package was excused (deductions of $125 or less) or waived, a tenant who requests documentation within 14 calendar days of receiving the itemized statement revives the full duty, and the landlord must comply within 14 calendar days of receiving the request.", "value": { "requestDays": 14, "respondDays": 14 }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(5)", "statuteQuote": "(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.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "Both clocks run from RECEIPT: the tenant's window from receiving the statement, the landlord's from receiving the request. The revival is tenant-initiated; the engine never models it as an automatic second letter, and the practical consequence is that a landlord should keep the full documentation set even when exempt. Distinct from the (h)(3) estimate follow-up clock." }, "mailFallback": { "summary": "Mailings go to the address the tenant provided. If the tenant provided none, they go to the vacated unit itself, and the 21-day clock does not pause.", "value": { "mailToVacatedUnit": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(6)", "statuteQuote": "Any mailings to the tenant pursuant to this subdivision shall be sent to the address provided by the tenant. If the tenant does not provide an address, mailings pursuant to this subdivision shall be sent to the unit that has been vacated.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025 (relettering; the substance is older)", "notes": "Mailing to the vacated unit satisfies the statute when no address was provided. The letter generated in that case addresses the tenant at the rental unit's own address and explains why. This is the opposite of the Texas model and no wait-for-an-address behavior may ever appear in California output." }, "badFaithForfeiture": { "summary": "A landlord who in bad faith fails to comply with the return-and-account subdivision is not entitled to keep ANY amount of the security, on top of the exposure to statutory damages.", "value": { "forfeitsEntireClaim": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(7)", "statuteQuote": "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.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), operative Jan. 1, 2025", "notes": "This is NEW law added by AB 2801, operative January 1, 2025. No such paragraph or forfeiture remedy existed before 2025, and it was not relettered from an older provision (corrected history; some secondary sources get this wrong). Do not imply it applies to pre-2025 conduct. Bad faith is required: a missed deadline alone is not automatically bad faith (see the Granberry discussion under penalty), and this tool never decides whether anyone acted in bad faith." }, "inspection": { "summary": "Before move-out the landlord must offer, in writing, a tenant-optional initial inspection. If the tenant requests one, it happens no earlier than two weeks before the end of the tenancy, on 48 hours' written notice, and produces an itemized statement of proposed deductions the tenant may cure. If the inspection happened and possessions did not obstruct it, repairs and cleanings NOT identified in that statement are generally barred from the final statement.", "value": { "noticeHours": 48, "earliestDaysBeforeEnd": 14, "barsUnlistedDeductions": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(f)", "statuteQuote": "Subject to paragraphs (5) and (6), if an initial inspection is conducted pursuant to this subdivision and, at the time of inspection, the premises do not contain tenant possessions that prevent the landlord from identifying repairs or cleanings due to the presence of those possessions, the landlord shall not use the security for deductions for repairs or cleanings that are not identified in the itemized statement described in paragraph (2).", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025 (added the (f)(4) deduction bar)", "notes": "The quote above is the (f)(4) deduction bar, the operative constraint on the final letter; it covers repairs and cleanings only, never unpaid rent. The rest of subdivision (f): (f)(1) requires the landlord, within a reasonable time after either party's termination notice or before the end of the lease term, to \"notify the tenant in writing of the tenant's option to request an initial inspection and of the tenant's right to be present at the inspection\"; the offer is mandatory, the inspection is tenant-optional, and no statutory day count exists for the offer, so the tool never displays a fabricated deadline for it. If requested, the inspection happens \"at a reasonable time, but no earlier than two weeks before the termination or the end of lease date\" (the statute says \"two weeks\", not \"14 days\"); it is silent on whether the tenant's request must be written, so written is not treated as required. If the tenant does not request one, the landlord's duties under the subdivision are discharged; if requested, the landlord proceeds whether or not the tenant is present, unless the request was withdrawn. The landlord must give at least 48 hours' prior written notice of the date and time, waivable only by a written waiver signed by both parties, and the notice must contain the statutory abandoned-property paragraph in substantially the statutory form; which notice must carry that paragraph is textually ambiguous and placing it in the 48-hour notice is our reading. Based on the inspection, (f)(2) requires an itemized statement of proposed repairs and cleanings that must also include the texts of paragraphs (1) to (4) of subdivision (b), given to the tenant if present or left inside the premises; no dollar amounts are required in it, and it is a distinct document from the final (h) statement. (f)(3) gives the tenant the opportunity to cure identified deficiencies before the tenancy ends. The (f)(5) and (f)(6) safe harbors preserve deductions for items listed but not cured, and for anything within the four (b) purposes that arises between the inspection and the return of possession or that possessions concealed during the inspection; the codified (f)(6) is missing a conjunction before \"when\" and is grammatically defective as printed, so it is reproduced as-is and any paraphrase is our reading. (f)(7): the whole subdivision does not apply when the tenancy is terminated for cause under the cross-referenced provisions of Code of Civil Procedure § 1161(2) to (4)." }, "electronicRefund": { "summary": "If the landlord ever received the deposit or rent electronically, the refund must be returned electronically to an account the tenant designates in writing, or by an electronic method the tenant agrees to in writing, unless a written agreement designates another method such as a mailed check.", "value": { "mandatoryWhenElectronicPayments": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)(A)", "statuteQuote": "(A) (i) Subject to subparagraph (C), and except as provided by clause (ii), the landlord shall return the remainder of the security by personal delivery or by a check made payable to the tenant and mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid. (ii) (I) If the landlord received the security or rental payments from the tenant electronically, the landlord shall return the remainder of the security electronically to a bank account or other financial institution designated by the tenant in writing, or by any electronic or virtual method available to the landlord if agreed to in writing by the tenant. Alternatively, the landlord and tenant may, by written agreement, designate another method of return, including, but not limited to, by personal delivery or by a check made payable to the tenant and mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to an address provided by the tenant. Upon the termination of a landlord's interest in the premises and the transfer of the security to the landlord's successor in interest as provided in subdivision (i), the landlord's successor in interest shall return the remainder of the security electronically to a bank account or other financial institution designated by the tenant in writing or by any electronic or virtual method available to the landlord's successor in interest if agreed to in writing by the tenant only if the landlord's successor in interest received rental payments electronically from the tenant.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 414 (Stats. 2025, ch. 340)", "notes": "Default return is personal delivery or a first-class-mail check; the electronic mandate displaces it whenever the landlord ever received the deposit or rent electronically (Zelle, Venmo, ACH, a payment portal), unless a written agreement designates another method. The final sentence extends the mandate to a successor who received rent electronically. Separately, (h)(1)(A)(ii)(II) requires advance WRITTEN notice of the tenant's right to an electronic refund, within a reasonable time after either party's termination notice or before the end of the lease term; that notice is excused if a written return-method agreement exists or the tenancy ended under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161(2) to (4)." }, "statementDelivery": { "summary": "The itemized statement travels by personal delivery or first-class mail by default. Email is allowed only on mutual agreement, which can be made at the start of the tenancy or at any time during or after it.", "value": { "emailRequiresAgreement": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)(B)", "statuteQuote": "(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.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 414 (Stats. 2025, ch. 340)", "notes": "First-class mail, not any premium mailing service, is the statutory default; California prescribes no special mailing class for this statement. The statute says \"mutual agreement\" and does not say the agreement must be in writing; we recommend documenting it in writing as practice guidance, labeled as such. The Texas email rules are a different statute with different conditions and must never leak into California output." }, "multiTenantPayee": { "summary": "With multiple adult tenants on the lease, the default is one check payable to ALL adult tenants, with the statement furnished to any one of them chosen by the landlord. A written agreement with all adult tenants can override the default.", "value": { "payableToAllByDefault": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)(C)", "statuteQuote": "(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.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 414 (Stats. 2025, ch. 340)", "notes": "In California the all-adult-tenants check is a statutory command, not a courtesy. A written agreement with all adult tenants may set allocations or per-tenant methods. Clause (iii): a tenant who terminated under Civ. Code § 1946.7 (domestic violence and related grounds) may request a different disbursement. How this default interacts with the electronic-refund mandate is unresolved; because (A)(i) and (B)(i) are each \"Subject to subparagraph (C)\", our reading is that the multi-tenant default controls absent a written agreement, and the copy labels that as our reading." }, "wearTriple": { "summary": "Three codified prohibitions: no claims for damage or defects that preexisted the tenancy, none for ordinary wear and tear whenever it arose, and none for the cumulative effects of ordinary wear and tear across one or more tenancies.", "value": { "codified": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(e)(2)(A)", "statuteQuote": "The landlord shall not assert a claim against the tenant or the security for damages to the premises or any defective conditions that preexisted the tenancy, for ordinary wear and tear or the effects thereof, whether the wear and tear preexisted the tenancy or occurred during the tenancy, or for the cumulative effects of ordinary wear and tear occurring during any one or more tenancies.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025", "notes": "No Texas analogue exists; do not reuse Texas wear framing. \"Ordinary wear and tear\" itself is used throughout the section but never defined (verified negative), so these outer-bounds prohibitions plus the DRE guide are what the wear guidance can honestly present. The tool never classifies a specific item as wear or damage; it quotes the matching prohibition and the user decides." }, "restorationCap": { "summary": "Repair claims for materials, supplies, and labor are limited to a reasonable amount necessary to restore the premises to its move-in condition, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear. The deposit cannot fund upgrades.", "value": { "codified": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(e)(2)(B)", "statuteQuote": "Claims against the tenant or the security for materials or supplies and for work performed by a contractor, the landlord, or the landlord's employee shall be limited to a reasonable amount necessary to restore the premises back to the condition it was in at the inception of the tenancy, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025", "notes": "Anti-betterment rule. AB 2801's uncodified intent language (SEC. 1): \"to ensure that landlords do not subsidize improvements to their rental properties with a former tenant's security deposit.\" The operative wording is \"a reasonable amount necessary\"; the Legislative Counsel's Digest paraphrase differs, so always quote the operative text." }, "professionalCleaning": { "summary": "Charging the tenant or the deposit for professional carpet cleaning or other professional cleaning services is prohibited unless reasonably necessary to return the premises to its move-in condition. Routine or lease-mandated professional cleaning charges are unlawful.", "value": { "necessityRequired": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(e)(2)(C)", "statuteQuote": "The landlord shall not require a tenant to pay for, or assert a claim against the tenant or the security for, professional carpet cleaning or other professional cleaning services, unless reasonably necessary to return the premises to the condition it was in at the inception of tenancy, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025", "notes": "Drafting quirk verified against the codified text: \"at the inception of tenancy\" with no \"the\" before \"tenancy\". Reproduce exactly; do not fix it. The necessity standard is comparative to the unit's move-in condition, and an automatic or lease-required professional-cleaning charge fails it. California-only rule with no Texas analogue." }, "heldForTenant": { "summary": "The deposit is held by the landlord FOR the tenant, and the tenant's claim to it has priority over the claim of any creditor of the landlord.", "value": { "priorityOverCreditors": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(d)", "statuteQuote": "Any security shall be held by the landlord for the tenant who is party to the lease or agreement. The claim of a tenant to the security shall be prior to the claim of any creditor of the landlord.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2026-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "State law imposes no escrow, segregation, or interest requirement on the held deposit (city ordinances may; see cities). Educational copy only; this rule drives no computation." }, "transfer": { "summary": "When the landlord's interest in the premises ends, by sale, assignment, death, receivership, or otherwise, the landlord must within a reasonable time either transfer the remaining security to the successor and notify the tenant of the transfer and the successor's identity, or return the remaining security to the tenant with a full accounting.", "value": { "transferOrReturn": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(i)–(l)", "statuteQuote": "Upon termination of the landlord's interest in the premises, whether by sale, assignment, death, appointment of receiver, or otherwise, the landlord or the landlord's agent shall, within a reasonable time, do one of the following acts, either of which shall relieve the landlord of further liability with respect to the security held: (1) Transfer the portion of the security remaining after any lawful deductions are made under subdivision (e) to the landlord's successor in interest. The landlord shall thereafter notify the tenant by personal delivery or by first-class mail, postage prepaid, of the transfer, of any claims made against the security, of the amount of the security deposited, and of the names of the successors in interest, their addresses, and their telephone numbers. If the notice to the tenant is made by personal delivery, the tenant shall acknowledge receipt of the notice and sign their name on the landlord's copy of the notice. (2) Return the portion of the security remaining after any lawful deductions are made under subdivision (e) to the tenant, together with an accounting as provided in subdivision (h).", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025 (relettering; the substance is older)", "notes": "\"Within a reasonable time\" has no fixed day count; do not fabricate one. Subdivision (j): before a VOLUNTARY transfer, the seller must give the buyer a written statement of the security remaining after lawful deductions, an itemization of those deductions, and the seller's election between transfer and return; noncompliance does not affect the validity of title. Subdivision (k): the successor is jointly and severally liable with the seller for damages on noncompliance with the transfer-or-return duty, and may not demand replacement security from the tenant until restitution is made or an accounting under (h) is provided; under the (k)(3) good-faith safe harbor (AB 12, operative July 1, 2024), a successor who upon inquiry and reasonable investigation has a good-faith belief that the deposit was lawfully transferred or returned is not liable for statutory damages or for security it never received, so the due-diligence checklist is best practice, not statute. Subdivision (l): a successor who receives any portion of the security steps into all the rights and obligations of a landlord holding the security, so the full 21-day engine runs against successors unchanged, including the electronic-return duty in (h)(1)(A)(ii) when the successor received rent electronically. AB 414's application to move-outs that predate 2026 is not addressed by an express transition clause; treating it as governing tenancies ending on or after January 1, 2026 follows secondary sources and is labeled as an interpretation." }, "smallClaims": { "summary": "Deposit disputes may be brought in small claims court. For a natural person the jurisdictional cap is $12,500, and actual and statutory damages both count toward it.", "value": { "naturalPersonCapUsd": 12500 }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(o); Code Civ. Proc. § 116.221", "statuteQuote": "An action under this section may be maintained in small claims court if the damages claimed, whether actual, statutory, or both, are within the jurisdictional amount allowed by Section 116.220 or 116.221 of the Code of Civil Procedure.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "2024-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "SB 71 (Stats. 2023, Ch. 861), eff. Jan. 1, 2024 (CCP § 116.221 amount)", "notes": "CCP § 116.221, verbatim: \"In addition to the jurisdiction conferred by Section 116.220, the small claims court has jurisdiction in an action brought by a natural person, if the amount of the demand does not exceed twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500), except as otherwise prohibited by subdivision (c) of Section 116.220 or subdivision (a) of Section 116.231.\" Official text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CCP§ionNum=116.221. (the trailing period is part of the leginfo URL). The $12,500 figure is the natural-person cap from SB 71. Do not publish the CCP § 116.220 tier figures without verifying that section directly. Cite subdivision (o) of § 1950.5; the pre-2025 letter for this provision is wrong." }, "noWaiver": { "summary": "A lease clause by which the tenant modifies or waives rights under the deposit statute is void as contrary to public policy. The only waiver the deposit statute itself authorizes is the narrow end-of-tenancy documentation waiver.", "value": { "waiverVoid": true }, "citation": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1953(a)(1)", "statuteQuote": "Any provision of a lease or rental agreement of a dwelling by which the lessee agrees to modify or waive any of the following rights shall be void as contrary to public policy: (1) His rights or remedies under Section 1950.5 or 1954.", "sourceUrl": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1953.", "derivation": "verbatim", "effectiveDate": "1976-01-01", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "amendedBy": "Added by Stats. 1975, ch. 302 (leases executed on or after Jan. 1, 1976)", "notes": "The no-waiver rule lives in Civ. Code § 1953, not in § 1950.5 itself; § 1950.5 contains no blanket void-waiver subdivision (verified negative). Keep this strictly separate from the § 1950.5(h)(4)(B) documentation waiver, which is the single waiver the statute authorizes (see docWaiver)." }, "cities": [ { "city": "San Francisco", "citySlug": "san-francisco", "applies": true, "summary": "San Francisco requires simple interest on residential security deposits held at least one year, citywide, regardless of rent-control status. A vacating tenant must be paid the interest within two weeks of vacating, which lands BEFORE the state 21-day deposit deadline.", "coverageQuestion": "Is this a market-rate rental? Tenancies whose rent is assisted or subsidized by a government agency are exempt from the interest requirement.", "interest": { "required": true, "mode": "sf-annual-anniversary", "ratePeriods": [ { "ratePercent": 5, "from": "1983-09-01", "to": "2002-08-03", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 3.4, "from": "2002-08-04", "to": "2003-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 1.2, "from": "2003-03-01", "to": "2004-02-29", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 1.2, "from": "2004-03-01", "to": "2005-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 1.7, "from": "2005-03-01", "to": "2006-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 3.7, "from": "2006-03-01", "to": "2007-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 5.2, "from": "2007-03-01", "to": "2008-02-29", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 5.2, "from": "2008-03-01", "to": "2009-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 3.1, "from": "2009-03-01", "to": "2010-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.9, "from": "2010-03-01", "to": "2011-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.4, "from": "2011-03-01", "to": "2012-02-29", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.4, "from": "2012-03-01", "to": "2013-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.4, "from": "2013-03-01", "to": "2014-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.3, "from": "2014-03-01", "to": "2015-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.1, "from": "2015-03-01", "to": "2016-02-29", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.2, "from": "2016-03-01", "to": "2017-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.6, "from": "2017-03-01", "to": "2018-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 1.2, "from": "2018-03-01", "to": "2019-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 2.2, "from": "2019-03-01", "to": "2020-02-29", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 2.2, "from": "2020-03-01", "to": "2021-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.6, "from": "2021-03-01", "to": "2022-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 0.1, "from": "2022-03-01", "to": "2023-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 2.3, "from": "2023-03-01", "to": "2024-02-29", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 5.2, "from": "2024-03-01", "to": "2025-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 5, "from": "2025-03-01", "to": "2026-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" }, { "ratePercent": 4.2, "from": "2026-03-01", "to": "2027-02-28", "verified": "2026-07-04" } ], "specialWindowFrom": "2002-08-04", "specialWindowTo": "2003-06-14", "minimumHoldDays": 365, "payoutDays": 14 }, "checkedFor": [ "interest" ], "citation": "S.F. Admin. Code § 49.2", "sourceUrl": "https://www.sf.gov/reports--security-deposits", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "Both rates read directly off the live sf.gov page 2026-07-04: \"This year's security deposit interest rate is 4.2% ... effective March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027\"; the prior period \"was 5.0%\". The page's own worked example confirms multi-year accrual (a $2,000 deposit paid for two years on the annual due date owes 5.0% = $100 for 2025 PLUS 4.2% = $84 for 2026, $184 total) and partial years are pro-rated at the vacate-date rate - which the live sf-annual-anniversary mode reproduces (the $184 example is pinned to the cent in the ca-interest torture suite). ratePeriods feed that math. Interest accrues annually while the deposit is held; the rate resets every March 1 and is published in early January (re-verify every January). No interest is due if the tenant vacates before one full year. The page renders in a real browser; the automated monitor watches the American Legal Publishing codification of ch. 49." }, { "city": "Berkeley", "citySlug": "berkeley", "applies": true, "summary": "Berkeley requires annual security-deposit interest for covered (rent-stabilized) units, paid each December for the year through October 31, with a move-out stub payment for the period since the last October 31.", "coverageQuestion": "Is the unit covered by Berkeley rent stabilization (fully or partially covered under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance)?", "interest": { "required": true, "mode": "berkeley-accrual-year", "annualRates": [ { "year": 1980, "ratePercent": 13.6 }, { "year": 1981, "ratePercent": 15 }, { "year": 1982, "ratePercent": 12.8 }, { "year": 1983, "ratePercent": 9.2 }, { "year": 1984, "ratePercent": 10.7 }, { "year": 1985, "ratePercent": 8.3 }, { "year": 1986, "ratePercent": 6.6 }, { "year": 1987, "ratePercent": 6.9 }, { "year": 1988, "ratePercent": 7.8 }, { "year": 1989, "ratePercent": 9.1 }, { "year": 1990, "ratePercent": 8.3 }, { "year": 1991, "ratePercent": 6 }, { "year": 1992, "ratePercent": 3.8 }, { "year": 1993, "ratePercent": 3.4 }, { "year": 1994, "ratePercent": 4.8 }, { "year": 1995, "ratePercent": 6 }, { "year": 1996, "ratePercent": 5.5 }, { "year": 1997, "ratePercent": 5.7 }, { "year": 1998, "ratePercent": 5.5 }, { "year": 1999, "ratePercent": 5.4 }, { "year": 2000, "ratePercent": 6.6 }, { "year": 2001, "ratePercent": 3.8 }, { "year": 2002, "ratePercent": 1.8 }, { "year": 2003, "ratePercent": 1.2 }, { "year": 2004, "ratePercent": 1.6 }, { "year": 2005, "ratePercent": 3.4 }, { "year": 2006, "ratePercent": 5.1 }, { "year": 2007, "ratePercent": 5.3 }, { "year": 2008, "ratePercent": 3.4 }, { "year": 2009, "ratePercent": 0.9 }, { "year": 2010, "ratePercent": 0.4 }, { "year": 2011, "ratePercent": 0.3 }, { "year": 2012, "ratePercent": 0.2 }, { "year": 2013, "ratePercent": 0.1 }, { "year": 2014, "ratePercent": 0.1 }, { "year": 2015, "ratePercent": 0.1 }, { "year": 2016, "ratePercent": 0.1 }, { "year": 2017, "ratePercent": 0.1 }, { "year": 2018, "ratePercent": 0.1 }, { "year": 2019, "ratePercent": 0.2 }, { "year": 2020, "ratePercent": 0.2 }, { "year": 2021, "ratePercent": 0 }, { "year": 2022, "ratePercent": 0.1 }, { "year": 2023, "ratePercent": 0.7 }, { "year": 2024, "ratePercent": 1.2 }, { "year": 2025, "ratePercent": 0.9 } ], "moveOutRates": [ { "month": "2026-07", "ratePercent": 0.7, "verified": "2026-07-04" } ], "minimumHoldDays": 0, "penaltyDepositPercent": 10, "pendingNote": "Berkeley requires annual security-deposit interest for covered units, paid each December at the Rent Board rate, with a mid-year move-out stub at the Board's trailing-12-month rate. Confirm the amount at rentboard.berkeleyca.gov before paying." }, "checkedFor": [ "interest" ], "citation": "Berkeley Mun. Code § 13.76.070; Rent Board Regs. ch. 7", "sourceUrl": "https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov/rights-responsibilities/security-deposits/security-deposit-interest-calculator", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "Verified on the Board's own calculator page 2026-07-04: \"The interest rate for a December 2025 annual return of security deposit interest: 0.9%\", plus a month-by-month move-out rate table running into 2026 (e.g. 0.7% for a July 2026 move-out) - the monthly figures expire too fast to encode. Earlier verified annual rates: 2023 = 0.7%, 2024 = 1.2%. Reg. 704 penalty: if the annual interest is not paid by January 31, the tenant may deduct 10% of the security-deposit amount (not 10% of the interest owed) from a rent payment during that calendar year. Since item 6 (2026-07-04) the berkeley-accrual-year mode computes the move-out stub from the encoded moveOutRates months (any other month degrades to note-only) and the Reg 702(D)(3) first-partial-year path from annualRates; the annual December payment stays note-only by design (a move-out tool cannot safely infer the interest year being settled)." }, { "city": "Los Angeles", "citySlug": "los-angeles", "applies": true, "summary": "The City of Los Angeles requires annual interest on security deposits for units covered by its Rent Stabilization Ordinance, paid or credited each year and settled with the deposit return at move-out.", "coverageQuestion": "Is the unit covered by the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance? Coverage generally means multifamily property first occupied before October 1978; mobile home parks are excluded.", "interest": { "required": true, "mode": "la-monthly-calendar-year", "annualRates": [ { "year": 1990, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1991, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1992, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1993, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1994, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1995, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1996, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1997, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1998, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 1999, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 2000, "ratePercent": 5 }, { "year": 2001, "ratePercent": 2 }, { "year": 2002, "ratePercent": 0 }, { "year": 2003, "ratePercent": 1 }, { "year": 2004, "ratePercent": 0.26 }, { "year": 2005, "ratePercent": 1.21 }, { "year": 2006, "ratePercent": 1.74 }, { "year": 2007, "ratePercent": 2.39 }, { "year": 2008, "ratePercent": 3.22 }, { "year": 2009, "ratePercent": 1.76 }, { "year": 2010, "ratePercent": 0.55 }, { "year": 2011, "ratePercent": 0.29 }, { "year": 2012, "ratePercent": 0.22 }, { "year": 2013, "ratePercent": 0.15 }, { "year": 2014, "ratePercent": 0.18 }, { "year": 2015, "ratePercent": 0.12 }, { "year": 2016, "ratePercent": 0.06 }, { "year": 2017, "ratePercent": 0.07 }, { "year": 2018, "ratePercent": 0.07 }, { "year": 2019, "ratePercent": 0.06 }, { "year": 2020, "ratePercent": 0.23 }, { "year": 2021, "ratePercent": 0.06 }, { "year": 2022, "ratePercent": 0.03 }, { "year": 2023, "ratePercent": 0.04 }, { "year": 2024, "ratePercent": 0.52 }, { "year": 2025, "ratePercent": 4.32 }, { "year": 2026, "ratePercent": 3.03 } ], "accrualStartISO": "1990-11-01", "minimumHoldMonths": 12, "pendingNote": "Los Angeles requires RSO deposit interest, accrued monthly at each calendar year's Rent Adjustment Commission rate. Confirm the amount on housing.lacity.gov (Bulletin #44) before paying, or pay the actual bank interest with a statement." }, "checkedFor": [ "interest" ], "citation": "L.A. Mun. Code § 151.06.02", "sourceUrl": "https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/lamc/0-0-0-195527", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "Verified against the official Bulletin No. 44 PDF (#44 - 01/13/2026, fetched from housing.lacity.gov 2026-07-04): \"The interest rate set by the Rent Adjustment Commission for 2026 is 3.03%.\" The bulletin carries the full 1990-2026 rate chronology (2024 = 0.52%, 2025 = 4.32% both confirmed). Landlords pay either the published rate or actual bank interest with statements; unpaid accrued interest is due with the deposit return at move-out; the RSD does not investigate non-payment (civil remedy incl. small claims, LAMC 151.06.02(G)). CAUTION: the bulletin itself cites Civ. Code 1950.5 by its PRE-2025 subsection letters ((f), (g), (h)) - never copy its pin cites. Since item 6 (2026-07-04) annualRates feed the live la-monthly-calendar-year computation (each FULL calendar month held at that year's rate; the $91.53 worked example is pinned in the torture suite). housing.lacity.gov rejects non-browser fetches, so this record is on the manual ledger, not a monitor." }, { "city": "West Hollywood", "citySlug": "west-hollywood", "applies": true, "summary": "West Hollywood requires annual interest on security deposits for rent-stabilized units. The city announces each year's rate before September 1, and payment for a calendar year is due before the following February.", "coverageQuestion": "Is the unit rent-stabilized under the West Hollywood Rent Stabilization Ordinance?", "interest": { "required": true, "mode": "note-only", "pendingNote": "West Hollywood announces each year's security-deposit interest rate before September 1 (the 2025 rate was 4.3%). The 2026 rate has not been announced yet, so this tool does not state one. Confirm the current rate on weho.org before paying." }, "checkedFor": [ "interest" ], "citation": "West Hollywood Mun. Code § 17.32.020", "sourceUrl": "https://www.weho.org/city-government/rent-stabilization/rental-housing/newsletters-rent-increases-security-deposit-interest", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "Both recent rates confirmed 2026-07-04 from the primary source (the RSD newsletters themselves): the Winter 2024 newsletter states \"The security deposit interest for calendar year 2024 is 5.00%\" (payable January 2025), and the Winter 2025-26 newsletter states \"The security deposit interest for the calendar year 2025 is 4.3%\" (payable January 2026). WeHo sets the rate by averaging five online FDIC-insured banks' savings rates, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent. The rate for a 2026 move-out cannot exist before the September announcement, so 2026 letters flag it as pending rather than guessing. weho.org hard-blocks automated access (HTTP 403 to a headless browser, the showdocument/showpublisheddocument hosts, and WebFetch alike), so future September re-checks need a human browser or a call to Rent Stabilization, (323) 848-6450." }, { "city": "Watsonville", "citySlug": "watsonville", "applies": true, "summary": "Watsonville requires interest citywide on security deposits over $50 held more than 30 days, with vacating tenants paid within three weeks. But the ordinance waives the payment in any year the adopted rate is below 0.50%, which has been true every year from 2011 through 2024.", "interest": { "required": true, "mode": "note-only", "pendingNote": "Watsonville Municipal Code ch. 5-40 requires deposit interest, but § 5-40.04(d) waives the payment in any year the adopted rate is below 0.50%. That waiver has applied every year from 2011 through 2024 (the 2024 rate was 0.03%), so no payment was owed in those years. As of July 2026 the city had published rate letters only through 2024; before assuming a payment is due, check the Finance Department's rate letters at watsonville.gov or call (831) 768-3471." }, "checkedFor": [ "interest" ], "citation": "Watsonville Mun. Code ch. 5-40", "sourceUrl": "https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Watsonville/html/Watsonville05/Watsonville0540.html", "lastVerified": "2026-07-05", "confidence": "high", "notes": "Waiver clause verified verbatim on the codified page 2026-07-04: \"(d) It shall be optional for landlord to pay their tenant(s) interest on security deposits held when the average interest rate is less than one-half (0.5%) percent.\" Primary-source deep check 2026-07-05 (Finance Department PDFs fetched from watsonville.gov/443/rental-security-deposit): the 2024 rate letter (Feb 13, 2024) confirms \"waived for 2024\", County of Santa Cruz 2024 rate 0.03%, the city's rate \"is aligned with the rate calculated and adopted by the County of Santa Cruz\", waiver operative \"starting with 2011 deposits\", and its 10-year table shows n/a for every year 2015-2024; the 2014 letter (Dec 2, 2013) says \"waived for 2014\" and its 15-year table shows 2011-2014 all n/a, closing the chain: waived every year 2011-2024. The Historical Rates PDF covers 1991-2013 (requirement established by ord. 965-9 CM eff. 6/27/1991; substantive rates were paid 1991-2010, e.g. 5% in the early 1990s; the two city documents disagree on 2010 - Historical PDF 10.00% vs the 2014 letter 0.10%, likely a decimal artifact, not relied on). NO 2025 or 2026 letter is posted as of 2026-07-05 - the Finance page's newest letter is 2024, so those years' status is genuinely unknown, and the tool says so rather than assuming the waiver. Finance Department: (831) 768-3471. When payment is owed, vacating tenants must be paid within three weeks of vacating. Re-check every February (annual letter)." }, { "city": "Santa Monica", "citySlug": "santa-monica", "applies": false, "summary": "No deposit-interest payment is required, but the deposit must be held in an interest-bearing account. Santa Monica requires every security deposit, including advance rent, to sit in an interest-bearing account at a federally insured institution until it is returned to the tenant or the landlord becomes entitled to use it. The interest itself belongs to the landlord: the Charter lets the landlord keep it or use it to offset operating expenses unless and until the Rent Control Board enacts regulations directing that it be paid to the tenant, and the Board suspended those regulations in 2002 and has not reinstated them.", "interest": { "required": false, "mode": "none" }, "checkedFor": [ "interest" ], "citation": "Santa Monica City Charter art. XVIII, § 1803(s); Rent Control Reg. 14001(a) (payment subsections 14001(b)-(f) suspended 6/22/02)", "sourceUrl": "https://www.santamonica.gov/media/Document%20Library/Detail/Rent%20Control%20Charter%20Amendment%20&%20Regulations/14,%20Security%20Deposits.pdf", "lastVerified": "2026-07-19", "confidence": "high", "notes": "The account requirement is set by Regulation 14001(a) and, one level up, by Charter article XVIII, section 1803(s), which extends it to advance rent as well as the deposit itself. Section 1803(s) is also what settles who keeps the interest: the landlord may keep it or use it to offset operating expenses \"unless and until the Board enacts regulations directing that the interest on such accounts be paid directly to the tenant.\" Those regulations, Reg. 14001(b) to (f), have been suspended since June 22, 2002, so no payment is owed. Two points of scope. The Rent Control Board's authority runs to controlled rental units, so treat the account duty as reaching rent-controlled Santa Monica units rather than every rental in the city. And the FSLIC named in both texts was abolished in 1989 and folded into the FDIC, so in practice this means an FDIC-insured account. Worth knowing: the Board's own 2024 security deposit information sheet does not mention the account duty, so a landlord relying on that sheet alone would not learn of it. Re-checked annually." }, { "city": "Oakland", "citySlug": "oakland", "applies": false, "summary": "No deposit-interest payment is required. The Oakland Rent Adjustment Program's information sheet (July 8, 2024) states that security deposits do not accrue interest, and OMC ch. 8.22 has no interest provision.", "interest": { "required": false, "mode": "none" }, "checkedFor": [ "interest" ], "citation": "Oakland Mun. Code ch. 8.22 (no interest provision); RAP information sheet (July 8, 2024)", "sourceUrl": "https://www.oaklandca.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/housing-comm-dev/documents/rental-laws/info-sheet_security-deposits_en_7.8.24_final.pdf", "lastVerified": "2026-07-04", "confidence": "high", "notes": "The Rent Adjustment Program's information sheet states on page 1: \"Security deposits in Oakland do not accrue interest.\" Verified against the PDF itself on the date shown; re-checked annually." }, { "city": "Hayward", "citySlug": "hayward", "applies": false, "summary": "No ongoing deposit-interest payment is required. Hayward did require annual interest under section 13 of its 1983 Residential Rent Stabilization Ordinance, but Ordinance No. 19-12 repealed and replaced that ordinance effective July 25, 2019, and the replacement defers security deposits entirely to state law, which requires no interest. Interest stopped accruing on July 25, 2019; a tenancy that ran in a covered building before that date may still have unpaid interest owing for its pre-repeal anniversary years.", "interest": { "required": false, "mode": "none" }, "checkedFor": [ "interest" ], "citation": "Hayward Mun. Code § 12-1.11 (Ord. No. 19-12, eff. July 25, 2019), repealing RRSO § 13", "sourceUrl": "https://www.hayward-ca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Hayward-Ordinanc-LANDLORD-English.pdf", "lastVerified": "2026-07-19", "confidence": "high", "notes": "Hayward did require annual deposit interest under section 13 of its 1983 Residential Rent Stabilization Ordinance, with payment due within ten days of each tenancy anniversary and treble damages for unpaid interest. Ordinance No. 19-12 repealed and replaced that ordinance effective July 25, 2019, and the replacement's deposit section reads in full: \"Security Deposits shall be collected by the Landlord and administered in accordance with state law.\" California state law sets no deposit-interest requirement, so none is owed. The City says so in its own landlord guidance: \"Interest on Security Deposit required under the old ordinance is no longer required under the revised RRSO. Simply follow CA rules.\" One limit worth knowing: the repeal operates going forward. A tenancy that ran in a covered building before July 25, 2019 may still have unpaid interest owing for its pre-repeal anniversary years, which the old section 13 exposed to treble damages. This tool does not compute those older years." } ], "localLaw": { "preempted": false, "summary": "California cities do add their own deposit rules, and the big one is interest: the state requires none, so every deposit-interest obligation in California is municipal. We researched eight cities and publish what each one requires, including the three that require nothing. That research asked one question, whether the city requires interest, so it does not rule out a city rule of some other kind, and it does not cover the hundreds of California municipalities we did not check.", "lastVerified": "2026-09-06" }, "sources": [ { "label": "Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 (official, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)", "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=1950.5." }, { "label": "AB 414 (Stats. 2025, ch. 340), eff. Jan. 1, 2026: current text of § 1950.5", "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB414" }, { "label": "AB 2801 (2024), eff. Jan. 1, 2025: photographs, (e)(2) deduction limits, (h)(7) forfeiture, relettering", "url": "https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2801" }, { "label": "California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants' and Landlords' Rights and Responsibilities, 2026 Edition (Cal. DRE, RE 26 Rev. 1/1/26)", "url": "https://www.dre.ca.gov/publications/ResourceGuidebook/2026_Landlord_Tenant_Guide.pdf" }, { "label": "Granberry v. Islay Investments (1995) 9 Cal.4th 738 (good-faith noncompliance does not bar recovery of unpaid rent, repairs, and cleaning)" }, { "label": "San Francisco Rent Board security-deposit interest rates (sf.gov)", "url": "https://www.sf.gov/reports--security-deposits" }, { "label": "Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board: security deposits and interest", "url": "https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov/rights-responsibilities/security-deposits" }, { "label": "Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD): RSO security-deposit interest (Bulletin No. 44)", "url": "https://housing.lacity.gov/" }, { "label": "City of West Hollywood: security-deposit interest for rent-stabilized units", "url": "https://www.weho.org/city-government/rent-stabilization/rental-housing/newsletters-rent-increases-security-deposit-interest" }, { "label": "Watsonville Mun. Code ch. 5-40 (security-deposit interest)", "url": "https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Watsonville/html/Watsonville05/Watsonville0540.html" }, { "label": "City of Hayward: RRSO § 13 security-deposit interest", "url": "https://www.hayward-ca.gov/documents/interest-security-deposits-section-13-residential-rent-stabilization-ordinance" } ] } }