CIV § 1950.5

Security deposit capped at one month's rent - CIV § 1950.5

California Civil Code § 1950.5 caps security deposits at one month's rent (two months for small landlords) and prohibits ordinary wear and tear charges

Official text CIV § 1950.5 — California
  • (a) This section applies to security for a rental agreement for residential property that is used as the dwelling of the tenant.
  • (b) As used in this section, “security” means any payment, fee, deposit, or charge, including, but not limited to, any payment, fee, deposit, or charge, except as provided in Section 1950.6, that is imposed at the beginning of the tenancy to be used to reimburse the landlord for costs associated with processing a new tenant or that is imposed as an advance payment of rent, used or to be used for any purpose, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
  • (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.
  • (c) (1) 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.
  • (2) This subdivision does not prohibit an advance payment of not less than six months’ rent if the term of the lease is six months or longer.
  • (3) This subdivision does not preclude a landlord and a tenant from entering into a mutual agreement for the landlord, at the request of the tenant and for a specified fee or charge, to make structural, decorative, furnishing, or other similar alterations, if the alterations are other than cleaning or repairing for which the landlord may charge the previous tenant as provided by subdivision (e).
  • (4) On or after April 1, 2025, if a landlord or its agent charges a service member who rents residential property in which the service member will reside a higher than standard or advertised security pursuant to paragraph (1) due to the credit history, credit score, housing history, or other factor related to the tenant, the landlord shall provide the tenant with a written statement, on or before the date the lease is signed, of the amount of the higher security and an explanation why the higher security amount is being charged. The additional amount of security shall be returned to the tenant after no more than six months of residency if the tenant is not in arrears for any rent due during that period. The date for return of the additional amount of security shall be included in the lease agreement. For purposes of this paragraph, “service member” has the same meaning as in Section 400 of the Military and Veterans Code.
  • (5) (A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a landlord shall not demand or receive security, however denominated, in an amount or value in excess of an amount equal to two months’ rent, in addition to any rent for the first month paid on or before initial occupancy if the landlord meets both of the following requirements:
  • (i) The landlord is a natural person or a limited liability company in which all members are natural persons.
  • (ii) The landlord owns no more than two residential rental properties that collectively include no more than four dwelling units offered for rent. (B) Subparagraph (A) shall not apply if the prospective tenant is a service member. A landlord shall not refuse to enter into a rental agreement for residential property with a prospective tenant who is a service member because this subparagraph prohibits the landlord from demanding or receiving a greater amount of security than that which is established in paragraph (1). For purposes of this subparagraph, “service member” has the same meaning as in Section 400 of the Military and Veterans Code. (C) For purposes of this paragraph:
  • (i) “Natural person” includes any natural person who is a settlor or beneficiary of a family trust.
  • (ii) “Family trust” means a revocable living trust or irrevocable trust in which the settlors and beneficiaries of the trust are persons who are related to each other as sibling, spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, grandparent, or grandchild.
  • (6) This subdivision shall not apply to a security collected or demanded by the landlord before July 1, 2024.
  • (d) 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.
  • (e) (1) Subject to paragraph (2), the landlord may claim of the security only those amounts as are reasonably necessary for the purposes specified in subdivision (b).
  • (2) (A) 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. (B) 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. (C) 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.
  • (f) (1) Within a reasonable time after notification of either party’s intention to terminate the tenancy, or before the end of the lease term, the landlord shall 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. At a reasonable time, but no earlier than two weeks before the termination or the end of lease date, the landlord, or an agent of the landlord, shall, upon the request of the tenant, make an initial inspection of the premises prior to any final inspection the landlord makes after the tenant has vacated the premises. The purpose of the initial inspection shall be to allow the tenant an opportunity to remedy identified deficiencies, in a manner consistent with the rights and obligations of the parties under the rental agreement, in order to avoid deductions from the security. If a tenant chooses not to request an initial inspection, the duties of the landlord under this subdivision are discharged. If an inspection is requested, the parties shall attempt to schedule the inspection at a mutually acceptable date and time. The landlord shall give at least 48 hours’ prior written notice of the date and time of the inspection if either a mutual time is agreed upon, or if a mutually agreed time cannot be scheduled but the tenant still wishes an inspection. The tenant and landlord may agree to forgo the 48-hour prior written notice by both signing a written waiver. The landlord shall proceed with the inspection whether the tenant is present or not, unless the tenant previously withdrew their request for the inspection. Written notice by the landlord shall contain, in substantially the same form, the following: “State law permits former tenants to reclaim abandoned personal property left at the former address of the tenant, subject to certain conditions. You may or may not be able to reclaim property without incurring additional costs, depending on the cost of storing the property and the length of time before it is reclaimed. In general, these costs will be lower the sooner you contact your former landlord after being notified that property belonging to you was left behind after you moved out.” (2) Based on the inspection, the landlord shall give the tenant an itemized statement specifying repairs or cleanings that are proposed to be the basis of any deductions from the security the landlord intends to make pursuant to paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (b). This statement shall also include the texts of paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (b). The statement shall be given to the tenant, if the tenant is present for the inspection, or shall be left inside the premises.
  • (3) The tenant shall have the opportunity during the period following the initial inspection until termination of the tenancy to remedy identified deficiencies, in a manner consistent with the rights and obligations of the parties under the rental agreement, in order to avoid deductions from the security.
  • (4) 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).
  • (5) Nothing in this subdivision shall prevent a landlord from using the security for deductions itemized in the statement provided for in paragraph (2) that were not cured by the tenant so long as the deductions are for damages authorized by this section.
  • (6) Nothing in this subdivision shall prevent a landlord from using the security for any purpose specified in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (b) that occurs between completion of the initial inspection when possession of the unit is returned to the landlord or that was not identified during the initial inspection due to the presence of a tenant’s possessions.
  • (7) The requirements of this subdivision do not apply when the tenancy is terminated pursuant to subdivision (2), (3), or (4) of Section 1161 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
  • (g) (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.
  • (h) (1) 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: (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. (II) Pursuant to subclause (I), if the landlord received the security or rental payments from the tenant electronically or the landlord’s successor in interest received rental payments from the tenant electronically, the landlord or the landlord’s successor in interest shall, within a reasonable time after notification of either party’s intention to terminate the tenancy, or before the end of the lease term, notify the tenant in writing of the tenant’s right to receive the security electronically to a bank account or other financial institution designated by the tenant, or by any electronic or virtual method available to the landlord or the landlord’s successor in interest, if agreed to in writing by the tenant, pursuant to subclause (I). The requirements of this subclause do not apply when the landlord or the landlord’s successor in interest and tenant have previously entered into a written agreement designating another method of return of the security pursuant to subclause (I) or when the tenancy is terminated pursuant to subdivision (2), (3), or (4) of Section 1161 of the Code of Civil Procedure. (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. (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.
  • (ii) If multiple adult tenants reside in the unit, the landlord may enter into a mutual written agreement between the landlord and all adult tenants, at the commencement of the tenancy or at any time during or after the tenancy, that specifies both of the following: (I) How any remaining portion of the security will be returned, including whether it will be returned to a specific adult tenant or divided among multiple tenants, with the allocation percentages. If any remaining portion of the security is to be returned to multiple adult tenants, the landlord may return the security by either a check by first-class mail, postage prepaid, or an electronic deposit to a bank account or other financial institution designated by each adult tenant, as specified in the written agreement. (II) For each adult tenant, whether the landlord will furnish the itemized statement by email or first-class mail, postage prepaid, along with a forwarding address or email account.
  • (iii) If multiple adult tenants reside in a unit and a tenant terminates the lease pursuant to Section 1946.7 and no written mutual agreement was entered into by the landlord and all adult tenants pursuant to clause (ii), and the tenant who terminated the lease pursuant to Section 1946.7 requests that the security be disbursed in a manner other than by check made payable to all adult tenants, the landlord may return the security in a manner other than by check made payable to all adult tenants.
  • (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.
  • (3) 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.
  • (4) The landlord need not comply with paragraph (2) or (3) if either of the following applies: (A) The deductions for repairs and cleaning together do not exceed one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125). (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).
  • (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.
  • (6) 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.
  • (7) 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.
  • (i) 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).
  • (j) Prior to the voluntary transfer of a landlord’s interest in the premises, the landlord shall deliver to the landlord’s successor in interest a written statement indicating the following:
  • (1) The security remaining after any lawful deductions are made.
  • (2) An itemization of any lawful deductions from any security received.
  • (3) Their election under paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (i). This subdivision does not affect the validity of title to the real property transferred in violation of this subdivision.
  • (k) (1) In the event of noncompliance with subdivision (i), the landlord’s successors in interest shall be jointly and severally liable with the landlord for repayment of the security, or that portion thereof to which the tenant is entitled, when and as provided in subdivisions (e) and (h). A successor in interest of a landlord may not require the tenant to post any security to replace that amount not transferred to the tenant or successors in interest as provided in subdivision (i), unless and until the successor in interest first makes restitution of the initial security as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (i) or provides the tenant with an accounting as provided in subdivision (h).
  • (2) This subdivision does not preclude a successor in interest from recovering from the tenant compensatory damages that are in excess of the security received from the landlord previously paid by the tenant to the landlord.
  • (3) Notwithstanding this subdivision, if, upon inquiry and reasonable investigation, a landlord’s successor in interest has a good faith belief that the lawfully remaining security deposit is transferred to the successor in interest or returned to the tenant pursuant to subdivision (i), the successor in interest is not liable for damages as provided in subdivision (m), or any security not transferred pursuant to subdivision (i).
  • (l) Upon receipt of any portion of the security under paragraph (1) of subdivision (i), the landlord’s successors in interest shall have all of the rights and obligations of a landlord holding the security with respect to the security.
  • (m) 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. The court may award damages for bad faith whenever the facts warrant that award, regardless of whether the injured party has specifically requested relief. In an action under this section, the landlord or the landlord’s successors in interest shall have the burden of proof as to the reasonableness of the amounts claimed or the authority pursuant to this section to demand additional security deposits.
  • (n) A lease or rental agreement shall not contain a provision characterizing any security as “nonrefundable.” (o) 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.
  • (p) Proof of the existence of and the amount of a security deposit may be established by any credible evidence, including, but not limited to, a canceled check, a receipt, a lease indicating the requirement of a deposit as well as the amount, prior consistent statements or actions of the landlord or tenant, or a statement under penalty of perjury that satisfies the credibility requirements set forth in Section 780 of the Evidence Code.
  • (q) The amendments to this section made during the 1985 portion of the 1985–86 Regular Session of the Legislature that are set forth in subdivision (e) are declaratory of existing law.
  • (r) The amendments to this section made during the 2003 portion of the 2003–04 Regular Session of the Legislature that are set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) are declaratory of existing law.

Text as published in the 2026 snapshot of the code.

Source: Vaquill Open US Law, compiled from official state publishers (huggingface.co), reproduced under license CC BY 4.0.

Read this provision at the official source →

What it actually says

Section 1950.5 is the whole California law of residential security deposits, and almost every argument about a deposit is an argument about one of its four moving parts. First, the cap: subdivision (c) says a landlord may not demand or receive security worth more than one month's rent on top of the first month, with a two-month ceiling for a small landlord who is a natural person or an LLC of natural persons owning no more than two rental properties totalling four units. Second, the label does not matter. Subdivision (b) defines "security" as any payment, fee, deposit or charge "however denominated", so calling something a non-refundable cleaning fee or a move-in fee does not take it outside the section.

Third, and this is the provision most deposit disputes turn on, subdivision (e) lists what may be claimed and then removes several familiar deductions from the list. The landlord may only claim amounts "reasonably necessary" for unpaid rent, for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, for cleaning needed to return the unit to the level of cleanliness it had at the start, and for certain restoration of personal property. Subdivision (e)(2) then says expressly that a landlord shall not claim for conditions that pre-existed the tenancy, for ordinary wear and tear or its effects — including wear accumulated over several tenancies — and shall not require the tenant to pay for professional carpet or other professional cleaning unless it is reasonably necessary to restore the unit to its condition at the start.

Fourth, the clock and the paperwork. Subdivision (h) gives the landlord 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates to send an itemized statement of what was taken and why, together with the remainder of the money; where a deduction exceeds a threshold the statement has to be backed with receipts or invoices. Subdivision (f) gives the tenant the right to ask for an initial inspection up to two weeks before moving out and to be told, in writing, of deficiencies in time to fix them. Subdivision (g) requires the landlord to photograph the unit before and after. Subdivision (m) makes a bad faith retention exposed to statutory damages of up to twice the deposit on top of actual damages. Whether a particular charge is wear and tear or damage, and whether a retention was in bad faith, are questions of fact about your unit and your paperwork — worth discussing with a lawyer or a local tenant service before you write the demand letter.

When it applies

  • Nothing arrives 21 days after you hand back the keys — no money, no statement, no explanation
  • The itemized statement charges you for repainting the whole apartment after several years of ordinary living
  • A "non-refundable cleaning fee" or "move-in fee" that the landlord says is not part of the deposit at all
  • A deduction for professional carpet cleaning written into the lease as automatic on every move-out
  • You are charged for a stained countertop or a worn floor that was already like that when you moved in
  • The building was sold and the new owner says the old landlord kept your deposit

What this section does not say

  • It does not stop the landlord from suing you for damage that exceeds the deposit. The section governs the deposit; a claim for the rest is a separate action, and subdivision (m) works in the tenant's direction, not as a ceiling on the landlord's other remedies.
  • It is not a rule about last month's rent. Prepaid rent is treated as security under subdivision (b), but the section does not say a deposit automatically becomes the final month's rent — a tenant who simply stops paying the last month is not exercising a right this section gives.
  • It does not apply to commercial or non-residential tenancies. Subdivision (a) limits it to security for a rental agreement for residential property used as the tenant's dwelling; deposits on shops, offices and storage are governed by § 1950.7.
  • It does not define ordinary wear and tear. The section forbids charging for it without saying where the line is, so the argument about a scuffed wall or a worn carpet is decided on evidence about age, use and the condition at the start, not by a formula in the statute.
  • The application screening fee is a different section. Credit-check and screening charges are governed by § 1950.6 and are expressly carved out of the definition of security in subdivision (b).

Worked examples

Invented situations, written to show how the wording bites. They are not real cases, not judgments and not precedent, and nothing here predicts what would happen in yours.

Illustrative example

Five weeks after handing back the keys a former tenant has had no deposit, no itemized statement and no reply. When they finally get through, the landlord says it all went on cleaning.

How the wording applies

Subdivision (g) gives the landlord 21 calendar days from the tenant giving up possession to return the deposit and deliver an itemized statement with the supporting documents. The fact this turns on is the date possession actually ended, not the end of the lease term, and the consequence of missing it is not merely late paperwork, since a bad faith retention exposes the landlord to statutory damages under subdivision (l).

How the parties settled it

The landlord returns the deposit in full within a week and the tenant makes no claim for statutory damages, with both confirming the tenancy is concluded.

Illustrative example

An itemized statement charges a departing tenant for repainting the whole apartment after five years of ordinary living, with a decorator's invoice attached.

How the wording applies

Ordinary wear and tear cannot be deducted, and the section does not say where the line falls. It turns on the age and condition of the paint at the start of the tenancy against its condition at the end: repainting because five years of normal use have dulled the walls is not a permitted deduction, while making good specific damage is, apportioned for the remaining life of the finish.

How the parties settled it

The landlord withdraws the repainting charge, keeps an agreed sum for making good two specific damaged areas, and returns the balance within a week.

Illustrative example

A lease describes part of the money paid at the start as a non-refundable cleaning fee, and requires professional carpet cleaning on every move-out regardless of the state of the carpet.

How the wording applies

Subdivision (b) sweeps in any payment held as security however it is labelled, so calling a sum non-refundable does not take it outside the section, and section 1953 voids a lease clause waiving the tenant's rights under it. The fact it turns on is whether the carpets actually needed cleaning beyond ordinary wear, because a charge made automatic by the lease is not a permitted deduction.

How the parties settled it

The cleaning fee is treated as part of the deposit and accounted for in the itemized statement, and the carpet charge is dropped where the carpets were left as they were received.

How courts have read it

Decisions construing this provision. The question and the summary are ours; the quoted sentence is the court's own words, taken from the published opinion. These are the decisions in our corpus, not every decision there is, and nothing here predicts any other case. Reported 1991 to 2017.

Granberry v. Islay Investment, 9 Cal. 4th 738 (1995)

Supreme Court of California

What the court had to decide

Whether a landlord who in good faith fails to comply with the requirements of Civil Code section 1950.5, subdivision (f), may nevertheless recover damages for unpaid rent, repairs, and cleaning in a subsequent judicial proceeding.

What it held

A landlord who in good faith fails to comply with the summary deduct-and-retain procedure of section 1950.5, subdivision (f), is not barred from recovering damages for unpaid rent, repairs, and cleaning, and may raise setoff as a defense.

In the court's words
We conclude that 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, and we agree with the Court of Appeal to the extent that it so held.

Source: Caselaw Access Project, CC0 1.0 Universal (public domain dedication).

The same problem elsewhere

The other legal systems in this collection answer the same everyday problem with their own provisions.

The comparison and these one-line summaries are in English.

The landlord kept the deposit: how five legal systems decide who was right

Read the full comparison →

Related sections

CIV § 1953 Certain tenant waivers in leases are void: CIV § 1953 CIV § 1954 California Civil Code § 1954 - When a landlord may enter, and how much notice is required CIV § 1946.1 30 or 60 Days Notice (Month-to-Month) | CIV § 1946.1 CIV § 1942.5 180-Day Retaliatory Eviction Ban | CIV § 1942.5

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We copy this text from the official publisher and re-check it against that source on every page load, but we cannot guarantee it is complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for any reliance on it. An amendment can take effect before a consolidation catches up. The publisher's own copy is linked below; where the two differ, it is the official one that counts.

This page reproduces the text of CIV § 1950.5 in force at the date shown and explains it in general terms. It is not legal advice and takes no account of the circumstances of your case, which can change the answer completely. For a live dispute, for limitation periods, and before taking any step in court, consult a qualified lawyer in California.

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