AB 2801 Photo Requirements: California Guide for Landlords
Elvis · May 7, 2026
California AB 2801 photo requirements add three photo steps to the security deposit process under Civil Code 1950.5. Landlords must take move-out photos before and after repairs or cleaning starting April 1, 2025, and must take move-in photos for tenancies beginning on or after July 1, 2025.
AB 2801, Chapter 280 of the Statutes of 2024, amended California Civil Code section 1950.5. It was approved on September 19, 2024. The section was later amended by AB 414, effective January 1, 2026, but the photo passages did not change. Read the official AB 2801 bill text and the current Civil Code 1950.5 text.
For landlords and property managers, the goal is a clear record at the right points in the tenancy. Tenants may also take their own photos to keep a record of the unit's condition.
The three California security deposit photo moments
Under Civil Code 1950.5, landlords have photo duties at three points: move-in, move-out before work, and after repair or cleaning work. Each point has a different purpose and start date.
1. Move-in photos
For tenancies that begin on or after July 1, 2025, the landlord must take photographs of the unit immediately before, or at the inception of, the tenancy.
These photos show the unit's condition at the start of the tenancy. They can provide a baseline for comparing its condition after possession is returned.
2. Move-out photos before repairs or cleaning
Beginning April 1, 2025, the landlord must take photographs within a reasonable time after possession is returned. The photos must be taken before repairs or cleaning for which the landlord will make a security deposit deduction.
This set should show the unit as returned, before work begins.
3. Photos after repairs or cleaning
Also beginning April 1, 2025, the landlord must take another set of photos within a reasonable time after repairs or cleaning are completed.
These photos show the completed work for which the landlord made a deduction.
The 21-day itemized statement deadline
No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated, the landlord must provide an itemized statement and copies of documents showing the charges.
If the landlord makes a deduction for repairs or cleaning, the required photographs must be provided with the itemized statement. The law allows photos to be sent by:
- Computer flash drive
- A link where the tenant can view the photos online
Photos must be given to the tenant only when there is a repair or cleaning deduction.
What AB 2801 does not require
You may want date-stamped move-in photos to make your records easier to understand. However, AB 2801 does not require date stamps, time stamps, metadata, GPS information, or geotagged photos.
The statute also does not set:
- A specific number of photos
- A required number of rooms or angles
- A file type or format
- A definition of “reasonable time”
In other words, the law does not require timestamped photos or a fixed inspection checklist. A consistent checklist can still help your team organize records and compare the three photo sets.
A practical photo checklist for each stage
Use wide photos to show the full area and close photos to show details. Keep move-in, move-out, and post-repair photos together for the same unit.
Move-in checklist
Take photos immediately before, or at the start of, the tenancy.
For each room and area:
- Take a wide photo of the room.
- Photograph walls, floors, ceilings, windows, and doors.
- Photograph fixtures, cabinets, and appliances where applicable.
- Take close photos of existing marks, damage, wear, or missing items.
- Add the unit number and a label such as “before move-in.”
A close photo can show a mark. A wide photo can show where that mark was in the room.
Move-out checklist before repairs or cleaning
Take these move-out photos after possession is returned and before work begins for a repair or cleaning deduction.
For each room and area:
- Take wide photos first.
- Photograph walls, floors, doors, windows, fixtures, and appliances.
- Take close photos of the item or area connected to the charge.
- Include surrounding context in at least one photo.
- Label the set with the unit number and “move-out before repair” or “move-out before cleaning.”
- Keep the photos with the related charge documents.
The statute does not require a certain number of move-out photos. The practical goal is a clear record of the condition before work is done.
Post-repair and post-cleaning checklist
Take these photos within a reasonable time after the repair or cleaning is completed.
For each repaired or cleaned item:
- Take a wide photo of the area.
- Take a close photo of the completed work.
- Photograph the same area shown in the pre-work photos when possible.
- Label the set with the unit number and “after repair” or “after cleaning.”
- Keep it with the related move-out photos and charge documents.
A team should be able to find all three sets without searching through personal phones or email threads.
Why visible date, time, and address can still help
AB 2801 does not require a visible date, time, address, or GPS location. Still, that information can make a photo record easier to identify and review.
A visible label may help show:
- When the photo was taken
- Which property or unit it concerns
- Whether it belongs to the move-in, move-out, or post-repair stage
- Which repair or cleaning item it may relate to
Visible information has limits. It does not replace clear photos, unit labels, itemized charges, or the timing requirements in Civil Code 1950.5.
A photo routine for tenants
The photo duties in AB 2801 belong to the landlord. Tenants do not have a legal duty to take move-in or move-out photos.
Still, tenants may choose to take their own photos as a practical record. At move-in, photograph each room, fixtures, appliances, floors, walls, and existing marks or wear. At move-out, take another full set after belongings are removed.
Organize photos by unit and date. Take both wide photos for context and close photos for details.
Running a photo process at property management scale
Photo documentation can be difficult for teams that manage many units. In a Timemark customer interview, a California property manager said his team takes about 1,000 pictures per week. One inspection report could include 167 to 300 or more photos.
His team's process had been mostly manual. Staff typed reports line by line, collected photos through email, and prepared separate reports for owners and maintenance teams. Workers sometimes forgot to send photos or left out context.
A repeatable routine can help:
- Select the property or project.
- Take wide room photos and detail photos.
- Add the unit number and stage label.
- Keep the three photo sets separate.
- Save repair or cleaning records with the correct photo set.
- Prepare the photos needed with the itemized statement when deductions are made.
For teams with multiple workers, Teamspace collects team members' photos automatically and organizes them by person, project, and date. This can help keep photos from being scattered across phones and email.
Teams can also create PDF photo reports for a more structured set of records.
How to take date-stamped move-in photos with Timemark
Timemark is a free camera app for Android and iPhone. When you take a photo in Timemark, it prints the date, time, address, and GPS location directly on the image. Optional notes can hold the unit number and a stage label, such as “before move-in.” You can also add an optional company logo.
A simple move-in routine is:
- Download Timemark on an Android phone or iPhone.
- Open the app at the property immediately before the tenancy begins or at the start of the tenancy.
- Take wide photos of each room and close photos of fixtures, appliances, and existing condition issues.
- Add the unit number and “before move-in” in a note.
- Keep this set with the later move-out and post-repair sets.
Timemark uses network time, not the phone clock, for the time printed on the photo. Changing the phone's clock does not change the time printed on the image. Because the information is printed on the photo, it remains visible if the image is forwarded through email or messaging apps.
Photos can be taken with a weak signal. Team data syncs when the connection returns.
If Photo Code is turned on, a Photo Code is printed on the image. Anyone who receives that photo can enter the code on Timemark's photo verification page to check that the photo is genuine. Photo Code is optional, so not every Timemark photo has one.
For another California photo documentation topic, see Timemark's guide to AB 747 photo requirements.
This article is general information. Follow the official instructions that apply to you.
FAQ
Does AB 2801 require timestamped photos?
No. AB 2801 does not mention date stamps, time stamps, metadata, GPS information, or geotagged photos. It requires landlords to take photos at specific stages of the tenancy and repair or cleaning process.
When did the move-in photo requirement start?
The move-in photo requirement applies to tenancies that begin on or after July 1, 2025. The landlord must take photos immediately before, or at the inception of, the tenancy.
When did the move-out photo requirement start?
The move-out and post-repair or post-cleaning photo requirements began April 1, 2025.
Do landlords have to give tenants the move-in photos?
Landlords must provide the required photographs with the itemized statement when they make a deduction for repairs or cleaning. The statute does not require photos to be provided when no repair or cleaning deduction is made.
How long does a landlord have to send the itemized statement?
The landlord must provide the itemized statement no later than 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated. When there is a repair or cleaning deduction, the required photos must be provided with that statement.
Do tenants have to take move-out photos?
No. The photo duties under AB 2801 are the landlord's duties. Tenants may still choose to take their own move-in and move-out photos as a practical way to keep a condition record.