California Landlord Compliance Kit: Deposit, Notice and Eviction Checklists with an Excel Tracker

Who it is for

Landlords and property managers with rentals in California, and tenants who want the same record, from move-in through move-out or a court case.

Not the right fit if

Your rental is outside California: get that state's kit. Not legal advice, not a lawyer's review of a lease, notice or court case, and not a set of legal notice forms; city and county rules aren't covered.

Why it is different

• Built only from our California data files, checked November 2026 against 17 official pages, among them California Department of Real Estate: California Tenants guide, 2026 edition (RE 26, Rev. 1/1/26); California Courts Self-Help Guide: Guide to security deposits in California; California Attorney General: Know Your Rights as a California Tenant, Security Deposits; California Courts Self-Help Guide: Types of eviction notices (landlords); California Department of Real Estate: California Tenants guide, living in the rental unit; California Department of Real Estate: California Tenants guide, moving out, plus National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (a vetted secondary source, marked in the kit) where no official page could be read.
• 4 items the official pages didn't state are left out of the rules and put on a short look-up list with the page to check, never guessed.
• The workbook recalculates with zero formula errors and works out California notice and deposit dates for you.

What is inside

• Start here. How to use the kit, the 19 confirmed California rules at a glance and a short look-up list of 4 points to check: hearing after filing, judgment to writ, paying to stop the case, diversion or mediation (statewide), each with the official page.
• California landlord rules checklist. Deposits, notice periods, the eviction case and the small claims limit, each confirmed rule with its source link and check date. What it confirms: deposit limit: Since July 1, 2024, no more than one month's rent, and other deposits and fees count toward it; return deadline: Within 21 days after the tenant moves out: the deposit, or the deposit minus deductions with an itemized statement; itemized list of deductions: An itemized statement of what was deducted and why; copies of invoices or receipts when deductions are over $125; interest on the deposit: The Attorney General's guide lists no state interest requirement and says some cities make landlords pay interest; check your city or county rules; where the deposit is held: The Attorney General's guide names no account type: the landlord holds the deposit until the tenant moves out, and on a sale returns it or transfers it to the new owner; penalty the law states: In a bad-faith case, the court may award up to twice the amount of the deposit, plus the tenant's damages; ending month-to-month (landlord): 30 days if the tenant has rented less than 1 year; 60 days if 1 year or more; ending month-to-month (tenant): Written notice at least 30 days before moving for a month-to-month tenancy (7 days for week-to-week), or what the rental agreement requires if it sets a different period; rent increase notice: 30 days' notice for an increase of 10% or less; 90 days' written notice for more than 10%; unpaid rent notice: 3 days to pay or move, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and court holidays; entry notice: 24 hours' advance written notice is reasonable in most situations; notice mailed at least 6 days before entry is presumed reasonable; late fee limits: No set cap in the guide; court: The superior court of the county where the rental is (an unlawful detainer case); filing fee: $240 when the amount demanded is $10,000 or less; $385 over $10,000 up to $35,000 (statewide schedule effective January 1, 2026); time to answer or appear: 10 court days after personal service to file an Answer (weekends and court holidays don't count); more if served another way; writ to lockout: After the writ, the sheriff serves a Notice to Vacate that gives 5 days to move out.
• Move-in and move-out deposit checklist. A room-by-room condition checklist for both visits and the steps after move-out, with California's return deadline (within 21 days).
• Notice calendar. When each notice must go out: the lead time for every notice the state's text confirms, with a 2027 month-by-month serve-by table worked out with our notice date calculator's rules.
• Eviction timeline sheet. The California case in order from notice to lockout, with each confirmed stage, an example dated from a sample filing day where the rules give periods, and blanks for your own case dates.
• California landlord workbook (Excel). A tenant notice log that dates each notice from the California rules, a deposit tracker that works out the return date for each move-out, and a rent ledger with a running balance.