Landlord Guide · California Security Deposits · AB 2801
What Photos Does a California Landlord Need at Move-Out?
Since April 1, 2025, a California landlord who takes anything out of a security deposit for repairs or cleaning has to photograph the unit twice: after the tenant hands it back but before the work starts, and again after the work is done. For tenancies that began on or after July 1, 2025, there's a third set at move-in. The photos go to the tenant with the itemized statement, inside the 21-day deadline.
Family-owned in Temecula since 2021 · Licensed & insured · 5,000+ loads since 2021
What Changed
What Did AB 2801 Change for Security Deposits?
It added photographs to the paperwork a landlord already owed. Before 2025, a California landlord deducting from a deposit sent an itemized statement, plus receipts once repair and cleaning charges topped $125. Assembly Bill 2801 amended Civil Code section 1950.5 so that photos now go out with that statement too.
The bill was signed in 2024 and phased in on two dates. Starting April 1, 2025, the move-out photos and the after-repair photos are required. For tenancies that begin on or after July 1, 2025, the landlord also has to photograph the unit right before, or at the start of, the tenancy. The bill text is on the California Legislature's site, and CalMatters' Digital Democracy summary lays out the same dates in plain language.
The part that bites is one line in the bill: a landlord who fails in bad faith to meet the itemized-statement requirements can't make a claim against the deposit at all. Missing photos aren't a paperwork footnote anymore.
The Three Sets
Which Photos Have to Be Taken, and When?
Three sets: one at move-in for tenancies starting July 1, 2025 or later, one after the tenant returns possession but before any repairs or cleaning you'll charge for, and one after that work is done. The second and third sets apply to any deduction for repairs or cleaning made on or after April 1, 2025, no matter when the tenancy started.
| Photo set | When to take it | Required since |
|---|---|---|
| Move-in | Immediately before, or at the start of, the tenancy | Tenancies beginning on or after July 1, 2025 |
| Move-out, before work | Within a reasonable time after the unit is returned, before any repairs or cleaning you'll deduct for | April 1, 2025 |
| After repairs or cleaning | Within a reasonable time after that work is finished | April 1, 2025 |
The law says "a reasonable time," not a number of days. In practice that means the day the keys come back for the before set, and the day the last trade leaves for the after set. The longer you wait, the easier it is for a tenant to argue the damage happened after they left.
Where the Haul Fits
Where Does Junk Removal Fit Into the Photos?
The pile the tenant left is part of the "before." Photograph the unit with everything still in it, then have it hauled, then take the after set once the trades are done. If you'll put the haul on the itemized statement, the before photos are what show it was there.
Most landlords treat hauling what the tenant left as part of cleaning the unit back to the condition it was in at move-in. Section 1950.5 allows deductions for that kind of cleaning, along with damage beyond ordinary wear and tear and unpaid rent. Whether a particular haul charge holds up is a question for your attorney, not your hauler.
What I can tell you is what the paperwork needs from us. When someone other than your own employee does the work, the statute wants a copy of that vendor's bill, invoice, or receipt with the deposit statement, and the vendor's name, address, and phone number if the invoice doesn't show them. Ours does. Every turnover cleanout invoice carries our business name, 41713 Niblick Rd, and (951) 837-8072, coded to the property and unit.
We'll also send our own photos of the cleared unit on request at no charge. They're useful in the file, but the duty to take the before and after sets is yours, not ours.
Taking Them
What Makes a Move-Out Photo Hold Up?
Coverage, dates, and matching angles. Shoot every room from the doorway, then every wall, then close-ups of each problem with something in the frame for scale. Keep the original files so the date and time travel with them, and match your move-in angles so the two sets compare side by side.
- ✓Every room from the doorway first, then each wall. A close-up with no context is easy to argue with.
- ✓Close-ups of each item you'll deduct for, with a tape measure or a hand in the frame.
- ✓Inside the oven, the fridge, the dishwasher, and the cabinets, because that's where cleaning charges come from.
- ✓The garage, the patio or balcony, the storage closet, and the yard. Those get missed most.
- ✓Original files, not screenshots or texts, so the timestamp in the file survives.
- ✓The same angles as the move-in set, in the same room order, saved in one folder per unit and date.
Should the Photos Be Matched to the Statement?
Yes. Label each photo with the line on the itemized statement it supports, like "Line 3, bedroom 2 carpet." A tenant, or a small claims judge, should be able to read the statement and find the photo for every charge without asking you.
The Statement
What Goes Out With the Itemized Statement?
Within 21 days of the tenant moving out, you send the itemized statement, the remaining deposit, copies of the receipts or invoices when repair and cleaning charges top $125, and now the photos, along with a written explanation of what each allowable repair or cleaning cost. If a repair can't be finished inside 21 days, you can use a good-faith estimate and send the actual receipt within 14 days of finishing.
The Sacramento County Public Law Library and the California Attorney General's security deposit guide both cover the 21-day deadline and the $125 receipt rule. San Francisco's security deposit page covers the 2025 photo requirement. The statute applies statewide, not just in the cities that publish guides about it.
That 21 days is why the haul belongs early in the turn. A unit that sits full for a week leaves you two weeks to get repairs done, photographed, and invoiced.
If They're Missing
What Happens If the Photos Are Missing?
You can lose the deduction, and in a bad-faith case you can owe more than the deposit. Under AB 2801, a landlord who fails in bad faith to meet the itemized-statement requirements can't make a claim against the deposit, and bad-faith retention of a deposit can cost up to twice the deposit amount in damages on top of returning it.
Most disputes over this end up in small claims court. A judge there sees your statement, your receipts, and your photos side by side, and a missing before set is hard to explain. If you've already sent a statement without photos since April 2025, talk to your attorney about it rather than reading a hauler's website.
From the Owner
Why Is a Junk Hauler Writing About Deposit Photos?
Because we're the vendor who changes the unit first. Once the trailer pulls away, the before set is gone. I'd rather managers shoot it before we touch anything than find out at deposit time that they can't show what the tenant left.
Who Is Weston Molitor?
Founder · Wild West Junk Removal · Temecula, CAI started Wild West Junk Removal in Temecula in 2021. We're family-owned, licensed and insured, and we've hauled more than 5,000 loads out of 41713 Niblick Rd, a lot of them from rentals between tenants.
I'm not a lawyer, and nothing here is legal advice. What I know is the order the work happens in and what our invoice needs to show so it fits your file.
"Take the photos before we pull up. After that, the before is gone."
FAQ
What Else Do Landlords Ask About Move-Out Photos?
The statute says photographs, so don't rely on video alone. A video walk-through is a good backup, but pull still photos of every room and every item you'll charge for, and send those with the statement.
The move-out and after-repair sets tie to deductions for repairs or cleaning, so they matter when you're charging for those. Take them anyway. You won't know you need them until the turn shows you something the walk-through missed, and by then the unit has changed.
Yes. California lets a tenant request an initial inspection during roughly the last two weeks of the tenancy, and the landlord has to give written notice of that right. You then leave a statement of the repairs or cleaning you'd deduct for, so the tenant can fix them first. It isn't available to tenants being evicted.
No. The photo requirement covers repairs and cleaning. Unpaid rent is documented by the lease and your rent ledger, but it still goes on the itemized statement inside the 21 days.
The manager or the owner. The duty is the landlord's, so the person who'll sign the statement should own the photo set. Vendor photos, including ours, are a useful extra in the file, not a replacement.
Keep the originals in the unit's file at least as long as a former tenant could still bring a deposit claim, and ask your attorney what that period is for your leases. Storage is cheap; recreating a before set is impossible.
Shot the Before Set and Ready for the Haul?
Text the same photos to (951) 837-8072 with the floor and the move-in date. You'll get a load size and a firm price back, usually the same day, and an invoice coded to the property when we're done.
Wild West Junk Removal · 41713 Niblick Rd, Temecula, CA 92591 · (951) 837-8072 · Mon to Sat: 7AM-7PM · Sun: Closed
Sources & References
- leginfo.legislature.ca.govAB 2801 (2023–2024), Tenancy: security deposits — bill text
- calmatters.digitaldemocracy.orgDigital Democracy — AB 2801 summary
- oag.ca.govCalifornia Attorney General — Know Your Rights: Security Deposits
- saclaw.orgSacramento County Public Law Library — security deposits
- sf.govCity and County of San Francisco — security deposits and the 2025 photo rule
- Wild WestWhat goes on a rental turnover checklist, and in what order
- Wild WestBefore you start an eviction cleanout
Written by Weston Molitor, owner of Wild West Junk Removal. Last reviewed and updated October 12, 2026.
This page explains a California law in general terms and is not legal advice. Wild West Junk Removal is a hauler, not a law firm. Talk to your attorney about any specific deduction or dispute.