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California · Cleaning

Can my landlord charge for cleaning in California?

By housr editorsSources checked 2026-10-05 · legal review pending
The short answerCal. Civ. Code §1950.5(b)(3)
California's cleaning standard is the level of cleanliness the unit had when your tenancy began (for tenancies that began after January 1, 2003).

“The cleaning of the premises upon termination of the tenancy necessary to return the unit to the same level of cleanliness it was in at the inception of the tenancy.”

Work out a prorated estimate

Age when you moved out2 years
new12+ yrs
Use the age of the item, not of your tenancy. Your move-in report or lease may say when it was installed.
No sourced useful life yetWe haven't found a published useful-life figure for cleaning that we can cite, so we don't pre-fill one. Enter a life you can support: a manufacturer's warranty, the product page, or a figure from your lease.

Enter what you were charged.

How it's worked out: charge × (useful life − age) ÷ useful life. It is a prorated estimate using a useful life you can see and change; your state, your lease or a court may treat the charge differently. Most deposit statutes we've read exclude normal or ordinary wear and tear; your state's page quotes its rule.

Open the demand letter

Useful life: what we can cite

We haven't found a published useful-life figure for cleaning that we can cite, so Fair Charge asks you for one instead of assuming it. A manufacturer's warranty or product page is a reasonable place to start; label it as yours when you use it.

See the full useful-life table and how Fair Charge works.

What your state says

California has a rule on this

California's cleaning standard is the level of cleanliness the unit had when your tenancy began (for tenancies that began after January 1, 2003).

“The cleaning of the premises upon termination of the tenancy necessary to return the unit to the same level of cleanliness it was in at the inception of the tenancy.”

Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5(b)(3)The California page for this charge
Wear and tear in California
The landlord can't claim for ordinary wear and tear, damage that preexisted the tenancy, or the cumulative effects of wear and tear (§1950.5(e)(2)(A)).
Itemization
An itemized statement with copies of bills, invoices or receipts, and photographs, for deductions over $125; a good-faith estimate if repairs can't be finished in 21 days.
Statute text checked 2026-10-05 · legal review pending

Sources

  1. Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5(b)(3)
  2. NRS 118A.242(4)
  3. R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19(b)
  4. Wyo. Stat. §1-21-1208(a)
  5. Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5(h)(1) (wear and tear)
  6. Tex. Prop. Code §92.103, §92.107 (wear and tear)
  7. N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law §7-108(1-a) (wear and tear)
  8. RCW 59.18.280 (wear and tear)

Information, not legal advice. A prorated estimate is not a legal limit on what can be charged.