Vacaville, CA Rental Property Rules: Security Deposit Rules (2026)

California Civil Code Section 1950.5 is the operative security-deposit statute at Vacaville addresses. Assembly Bill 12 (Stats. 2023, Ch. 727), effective July 1, 2024, amended Section 1950.5(c) to limit the security deposit a landlord may demand or receive on most residential tenancies to an amount equivalent to one month's rent, regardless of whether the dwelling is furnished or unfurnished. A narrow exception retained in Section 1950.5(c)(4) permits a landlord who is a natural person or an LLC where all members are natural persons, and who owns no more than two residential rental properties comprising in total no more than four dwelling units offered for rent, to collect up to two months' rent, but only if the prospective tenant is not a service member as defined in 50 U.S.C. Section 3911. Permitted uses of the deposit under Section 1950.5(b) include compensation for default in rent, repair of damages caused by the tenant or the tenant's guests (excluding ordinary wear and tear), cleaning to return the unit to its condition at inception, and (if specified in the lease) restoration of personal property. Section 1950.5(e) prohibits a lease from characterizing any portion of the security as 'non-refundable.' Section 1950.5(g) requires the landlord, no later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates, to furnish an itemized statement and return any remaining portion of the security by personal delivery or first-class mail; for deductions totaling $125 or more, the landlord must include receipts or estimates for the work. Section 1950.5(l) entitles a tenant whose deposit has been wrongfully withheld to recover the deposit, statutory damages of up to twice the security amount, and attorney fees in small-claims or civil action. Pre-move-out inspection rights under Section 1950.5(f) entitle the tenant to a joint inspection within the final two weeks of tenancy with an opportunity to cure identified deductible items.