AB 2801 requires photo documentation and itemized cost breakdowns for every security deposit deduction. SiteProof turns that requirement into a five-minute workflow.
The Law
Landlords must conduct a detailed inspection at move-in and provide tenants with a written statement of the unit's condition, backed by photographs or video.
At move-out, every security deposit deduction must be itemized with evidence showing the condition change. Photo dumps without context will not hold up.
If a landlord fails to provide move-in documentation, the burden of proof shifts to them. Without a baseline, deductions become nearly impossible to defend.
Landlords who do not comply risk forfeiting the right to make deposit deductions entirely, plus exposure to statutory damages.
No documentation means no deductions. AB 2801 effectively makes photo-backed condition reports mandatory for any California landlord who collects a security deposit.
Compliance
| AB 2801 Requirement | Without SiteProof | With SiteProof |
|---|---|---|
| Photo documentation at move-in | Unstructured phone photos with no organization or context | Room-by-room photo upload with automated condition analysis |
| Written condition statement | Handwritten checklists or generic templates | Professional PDF report with defect ratings and severity scores |
| Itemized deduction with evidence | Manual spreadsheet; staff must price each repair | Itemized cost estimates from contractor data, adjusted for your market |
| Move-out documentation | Same unstructured process repeated at move-out | Same structured workflow; move-in report serves as the baseline |
| Prorated depreciation on deductions | Calculated by hand, if at all | Automatic depreciation based on useful life, built into every estimate |
| Defensible in dispute | Weak evidence; photo dumps lack context | Data-backed report showing basis for every number |
Compliance Workflow
Take photos during your normal move-in or move-out walkthrough. No special equipment, no special training.
Upload photos to SiteProof. Each room is analyzed for defects, wear, and condition issues with market-based cost estimates.
Review the draft report, correct anything that needs adjusting, and download your compliant PDF. Five minutes, not two hours.
Why SiteProof
Every estimate shows its basis: repair type, severity, regional adjustment, and depreciation. No black boxes, no made-up numbers. Sourced from HomeAdvisor, Angi, and national contractor pricing guides.
AI assists with detection and analysis; you review and confirm every finding before it goes into the report. Your professional judgment stays in the loop.
California courts require prorated deductions based on remaining useful life. SiteProof calculates this automatically so you never over-deduct and risk a dispute.
Any team member can run the walkthrough with a phone camera. SiteProof handles the cost expertise so your senior staff are not the bottleneck.
FAQ
AB 2801 is a California law (effective July 1, 2025) that strengthens security deposit documentation requirements. It requires landlords to provide photographic or video evidence of a unit's condition at move-in, and to provide itemized deduction statements backed by evidence at move-out. Without proper documentation, the burden of proof shifts to the landlord.
AB 2801 took effect on July 1, 2025. If you are currently collecting security deposits in California, you should already be complying with its documentation requirements.
At move-in: a detailed written statement of the unit's condition with photographs or video. At move-out: photographs or video of the unit's condition plus an itemized statement of any deductions, with evidence showing the condition change from the move-in baseline. Deductions must also account for prorated depreciation based on useful life.
SiteProof takes your walkthrough photos and generates a professional condition report with defect ratings, severity scores, and market-based cost estimates. The same workflow works for both move-in (baseline) and move-out (deduction itemization), with automatic depreciation calculations built in. The result is a structured, defensible document that maps directly to what the law requires.
No. A phone camera is all you need. SiteProof is designed so any team member can run the walkthrough; the tool handles the analysis and cost expertise.
Without compliant documentation, you risk forfeiting the right to make security deposit deductions. If a tenant disputes the charges, the burden of proof falls on you, and without a photo-backed baseline from move-in, defending those deductions becomes very difficult. You may also be liable for statutory damages.
No. SiteProof's cost estimates are a starting point for budgeting and documentation, not contractor quotes or formal valuations. We recommend verifying against actual bids before finalizing deductions. The estimates provide a transparent, data-backed basis for your itemized statements.
AB 2801 is already in effect. Get compliant documentation in minutes, not hours. 15 free reports, no commitment.
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