Security deposit deduction calculator
Deposit disputes are lost on paperwork, not on facts. This builds the statement in the order a court reads it: what you held, what you took, what each line was for, and what goes back.
Pre-filled with a typical move-out: some damage, some cleaning, keys unreturned. Zero out anything you are not charging for.
Refund owed to the tenant
$1,185.00
- Damage beyond wear and tear
- $425.00
- Cleaning
- $180.00
- Keys and access devices
- $60.00
- Total deductions
- $665.00
- Deposit held
- $1,850.00
- Refund due
- $1,185.00
The line that decides most disputes
Wear and tear is what happens when a careful person lives somewhere for two years. Damage is what happens when they do not. Carpet flattened along the hallway is wear; a burn in the middle of the living room is damage. Paint dulled by sunlight is wear; a wall the tenant repainted purple is damage.
| Item | Usually wear | Usually damage |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet | Traffic-lane flattening, minor soiling | Burns, pet staining through to the pad |
| Walls | Small nail holes, scuffs at furniture height | Anchors left in, unapproved colour, crayon |
| Appliances | Worn seals, aged finish | Cracked shelves, missing racks, water damage |
| Flooring | Dulled finish | Deep gouges, water swelling at a leak left unreported |
Age the item before you charge for it
A carpet with a ten-year life, replaced after eight, is two years of remaining value — not a new carpet. Charging full replacement for a nearly-expired item is the most common way a landlord loses the whole deduction.
What the statement has to contain
- 01Each deduction on its own line, described in plain words.
- 02The amount for that line, and a receipt or written estimate attached.
- 03The deposit held, the total deducted, and the balance.
- 04Where the balance is being sent, and when.
Post it inside your state's window — 21 calendar days in California from the day the tenant vacates (Civ. Code § 1950.5, checked 2026-09-04). Missing the window can forfeit the deductions entirely, however good the receipts are. The clocks are collected in return deadlines.
The file you should already have
Everything above depends on a before-and-after record. Take the move-in and move-out inspection in the same order, photograph the same lines, and date both sets. Two dated photographs beat any amount of confident recollection.
Related in the binder
