Security deposit return deadline in California
A California landlord has 21 days after the tenancy ends to return a security deposit or send a written list of what was kept.
- Deadline
- 21 days
- What the landlord must send
- Within 21 days after move-out, the landlord must return the deposit or send an itemized statement of deductions, with receipts or invoices for repairs and cleaning (the Courts’ guide says copies are required for deductions over $125).
- If the landlord gets it wrong
- Bad faith retention can cost the landlord up to twice the deposit in statutory damages, plus actual damages.
- Deposit limit
- 1 month’s rent (2 months for qualifying small landlords); applies to deposits taken on or after July 1, 2024
Landlords must take photos of the unit at move-out (beginning April 1, 2025) and at move-in for tenancies starting on or after July 1, 2025.
The law
Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5. Read the statute or the state agency’s page.
Checked against the statute in October 2026. Laws change, so confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
What to do next
If the deadline has passed, or the landlord kept money without a proper list, put your request in writing. Ask for the deposit back by a specific date, and keep a copy. The free first letter in the Deposit Demand Letters kit does this for California, and the deadline calculator works out your exact date from your move-out day.
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
General information about California law, not legal advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Deposit Demand Letters is a self-help template kit from Kits For That.