Move-Out Cleaning Checklist: Get Your Full Deposit Back
Most tenants clean far past what they owe and still lose money, because they clean the wrong things and document none of it. Civil Code 1950.5 is short and specific about what a deposit covers: unpaid rent, cleaning the unit to the level of cleanliness it had at the start of your tenancy, and repair of damage beyond ordinary wear and tear. That is the full list. Everything else your landlord writes into a move-out packet is a preference, not an obligation.