California security deposit photo requirements
California changed what a landlord has to do before keeping any part of a security deposit. Since April 1, 2025 the unit has to be photographed, and if you deduct for repairs or cleaning those photographs go to the tenant with the itemized statement.
Most summaries of this get at least one detail wrong, so every rule below is quoted from the statute — you can open the text under each one and read it yourself.
- 1
Photograph the unit at move-out, before any cleaning or repairs
Required for every California tenancy since April 1, 2025. The photos have to be taken before the work, because their whole job is to show the condition you're charging for.
§1950.5(g)(2)Read the statute
(g)(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.
- 2
Photograph it again after the cleaning or repairs are done
The same subdivision requires a second set once the work is finished. Most summaries mention the first set and stop.
§1950.5(g)(2)Read the statute
(g)(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.
- 3
Photograph the unit at move-in — for tenancies starting on or after the cutover
Applies to tenancies beginning on or after July 1, 2025. A tenancy that started before that date doesn't acquire the move-in duty later.
§1950.5(g)(1)Read the statute
(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.
- 4
Send the itemized statement within 21 calendar days of the tenant vacating
Calendar days, not business days, counted from when they vacated. This deadline predates the photo rules and catches more landlords than the photos do.
§1950.5(h)(1) — 21 daysRead the statute
(h)(1) No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises ... 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.
- 5
Attach the photos to the statement when you deduct for repairs or cleaning
Taking them isn't enough on its own. If you deduct, the photos go with the statement along with a written explanation of the cost. Mail, email, flash drive or a link are all named in the statute.
§1950.5(h)(2)(D)Read the statute
(h)(2)(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 ... 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.
Keep them for 4 years
This one is practice, not law — there is no retention period anywhere in §1950.5. 4 years is the limitation period for a written contract under CCP §337, so it's how long you might need them.
not statutory — CCP §337Our recommendation, not the law
What's at stake if you get it wrong
Where a landlord acts in bad faith, §1950.5 puts at risk the right to claim any of the deposit at all, plus statutory damages of up to twice the deposit and actual damages. That isn't a fine — it's the deposit you were trying to keep, plus up to twice it again.
The photo rules get the attention, but the deadline is what catches most landlords: 21 calendar days from the day the tenant vacated, not from the day you finish the repairs.
Which of these actually apply to your tenancy?
Four questions — when the tenancy started, whether they've moved out, whether you're deducting. No signup, no email.
Check my tenancyRelated
AB 2801 landlord checklist
The same duties in the order they happen, from notice to deposit return.
California move-out checklist
The whole move-out sequence, including the inspection most landlords skip.
What most AB 2801 guides get wrong
Two rules repeated everywhere that aren't in §1950.5, next to the text.
Deposit return letter generator
Your state's deadline and an itemized statement you can send.
How this page was checked
Every figure here is read from the same tested source as our compliance tool, and each was verified against Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5, as amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 340, Sec. 1 (AB 414), eff. 2026-01-01 on August 14, 2026. Where we state a figure, the statutory text it came from is quoted above it.
This is general information about a statute, not legal advice about your situation, and we are not lawyers. Local ordinances can add requirements this page doesn't cover. If something here looks wrong to you, tell us — we'll check it against the text and correct it.