California Landlords · AB 2801

One move-in.
One chance to document it.

Deduction is a maybe. Photos are a must.

California now requires photos at move-in, at move-out and after every repair you charge for. Amavera covers every one of them: it walks you through the unit, documents each repair before and after, and seals the report, so it holds up.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Free app. Your first report is free. Then $30 a report, or from $21 in bundles. No subscription.

See a sample report

Every report is sealed by an independent timestamp authority. Check one yourself →

Managing several units? Open the landlord portal → · Not in California? Invite your tenant →

Amavera Move-In Inspection Report 300 Chestnut Way, Apt. 1B · Sacramento, CA

Living room50 photos · 7 findings Kitchen52 photos · 4 findings Bathroom31 photos · 6 findings + 5 more rooms276 photos in all ✓ Sealed with an independent RFC 3161 timestamp See the full sample report

What the law requires

Three sets of photographs. All on you.

Since April 1, 2025

At move-out

Photograph the unit as the tenant left it, before any cleaning or repair begins. This one applies to every tenancy, no matter when it started.

Since April 1, 2025

After repairs

Before-and-after photographs of any repair or cleaning you charge against the deposit. No photos, no deduction.

Since July 1, 2025

At move-in

For tenancies beginning on or after this date, photograph the unit at or immediately before the tenant takes possession.

Amavera covers all three: move-out and move-in inspections, maintenance documentation for the before-and-after photos of each repair or cleaning job, and a move-in vs. move-out comparison.

All of it goes to the tenant with the itemized statement, inside 21 days of move-out. A landlord who fails to take or share the required photographs can lose the right to claim any amount from the deposit — even when the damage is real.

Assembly Bill 2801, amending California Civil Code § 1950.5. Read the full guide → · Free printable checklist →

Your options

Cheaper than an inspector. Better than free.

Walk the unit, and Amavera does the sorting and the write-up. Here’s how it compares with the other two ways to document a unit.

	Freecamera roll or a free checklist app	Amavera	A professional inspector
Taking the photos	One at a time, working from a list	Many in a row, room by room; it tells you what’s still missing	They do it
Sorting and writing it up	You sort the photos and type the notes	AI sorts the photos, keeps the clearest and writes the report	They write it
Normal wear or beyond	You judge it	The comparison labels each change; you decide	The inspector judges it
Proof of when	The phone’s or app’s own date	Independent timestamp	Their word and their records
Anyone can check it hasn’t changed	No	Yes, free on the verify page	No
Move-in vs. move-out comparison	By hand, or in some apps	Built in	If the same firm does both
Before and after each repair or cleaning	Up to you	Yes, with Maintenance	Another visit, another fee
Tenant can acknowledge it	In some apps	From a shared link	Varies
On your schedule	Yes	Yes	You book around them
Cost	Free	First report free, then $21–30 per move-in or move-out	About $100–200 a visit

Anyone can check it. No one can change it.

Inspector prices are typical published rates for a move-in or move-out condition report, 2026.

How it works

Compliant documentation in a single walkthrough.

On the portal

Create a free account

Your first report credit is already in it. Need more? Buy credits here, one per inspection. They never expire, so a single bundle covers a season of turnovers.

In the app

Walk the unit yourself

Download the free app and sign in with the same email. Your credits come with you. The guide takes you room by room — walls, floors, fixtures, appliances, windows — and flags the spots that get missed.

Both parties

Seal it and send it

Every photo organized by room, findings in neutral language, the whole file timestamped by an independent authority. Send it to your tenant to acknowledge and keep it in the portal.

Not in California? Invite your tenant instead.

Outside California the obligation usually sits differently, and the strongest record is one both sides watched being made. Buy credits on the portal and invite your tenant by email. They walk the unit with the app, you review the finished report, and both parties acknowledge it. Nothing to install on your side.

Massachusetts → Colorado → Texas →

Proof

Don't take our word for it. Check the file.

The report existed in exactly its current form on the sealed date — established by a timestamp from FreeTSA, an independent RFC 3161 authority. Not by us.
Any edit breaks the seal. One character, one pixel, and verification fails.
The proof travels inside the file. Checking it doesn't need an account, our servers, or Amavera still being here in four years.

Download the sample report Open the verifier

Download the sample, then drop it into the verifier. Free, no account. Works on any Amavera report, whoever produced it.

Why it matters

8 random photos won't hold up in a dispute.

“I can just take the photos myself”

You can, and the law will accept them. But phone metadata can be changed in seconds, and in a contested deduction it gets challenged for exactly that reason. A timestamp from an independent authority can't be backdated.

You photograph what you notice

Not the grout line, the closet track, the window seal, the outlet plate, the underside of the sink. Those are the deductions that get contested. The guide asks for them before you leave the room.

A report, not a folder of photos

Nobody reads 40 images. Amavera organizes everything room by room, names each finding in neutral language, and puts it behind a cover page — a document the other side has to answer.

The deposit paperwork, drafted for you

Your inspections also give you a pre-move-out notice, a move-in versus move-out comparison, an itemized deposit statement listing your deductions, and a demand letter if it comes to that. Included, not upsold. The photos and repair receipts that go with the statement are still yours to attach.

Pricing

Pay per report. No subscription. No expiration.

One report is $21–30. In California the deposit it protects is usually a month’s rent, and keeping it in bad faith can cost up to twice that.

Every report includes — at no extra cost

✓ Condition Change Reports

✓ Deposit Receipt

✓ Deposit Return Letter

✓ Pre-Move-Out Notice

✓ Itemized Deposit Statement

✓ Move-in vs Move-out Comparison

✓ Dispute Demand Letter

✓ Tenant Acknowledgement

One credit covers the inspection. Everything else is included. The itemized statement lists your deductions; the photos and repair receipts that go with it are yours to attach.

For landlords

Inspect the unit yourself, or invite your tenant.

Start free

Free

Your first report is on us

Every new account includes one report credit. Buy more only if you need them.

5 Reports

$135

$27 / report

Save $15

10 Reports

$255

$25.50 / report

Save $45

20 Reports

$480

$24 / report

Save $120

30 Reports

$630

$21 / report

Save $270

Open the Portal

For tenants

Your first report is free. After that, buy single reports in the app. Or get one free when your landlord invites you.

Your first report

Free

Every new account includes one report credit

No purchase needed

Additional reports

$30

One inspection report

Purchased in the app

Invited by landlord

Free

Your landlord already paid

Check your email for an invitation

Free on Google Play and the App Store.

Google Play App Store

California: The full AB 2801 compliance guide →
Massachusetts: How Amavera protects against triple damages →
Colorado: HB25-1249 documentation requirements →
Texas: See how Amavera fits Texas deposit rules →

One move-in.
One chance to document it.

Three sets of photographs. All on you.

At move-out

After repairs

At move-in

Free guides for California landlords

Move-in & move-out checklist

Wear and tear vs. damage

Move-out letter to tenants

Pre-move-out inspection checklist

Itemized deposit statement

Notice of entry

California security deposit law

AB 2801 photo rules

Cheaper than an inspector. Better than free.

Compliant documentation in a single walkthrough.

Create a free account

Walk the unit yourself

Seal it and send it

Not in California? Invite your tenant instead.

Don't take our word for it. Check the file.

8 random photos won't hold up in a dispute.

“I can just take the photos myself”

You photograph what you notice

A report, not a folder of photos

The deposit paperwork, drafted for you

Pay per report. No subscription. No expiration.

For landlords

For tenants

The deduction you can't document is the deduction you don't get to make.

One move-in.One chance to document it.

Three sets of photographs. All on you.

At move-out

After repairs

At move-in

Free guides for California landlords

Move-in & move-out checklist

Wear and tear vs. damage

Move-out letter to tenants

Pre-move-out inspection checklist

Itemized deposit statement

Notice of entry

California security deposit law

AB 2801 photo rules

Cheaper than an inspector. Better than free.

Compliant documentation in a single walkthrough.

Create a free account

Walk the unit yourself

Seal it and send it

Not in California? Invite your tenant instead.

Don't take our word for it. Check the file.

8 random photos won't hold up in a dispute.

“I can just take the photos myself”

You photograph what you notice

A report, not a folder of photos

The deposit paperwork, drafted for you

Pay per report. No subscription. No expiration.

For landlords

For tenants

The deduction you can't document is the deduction you don't get to make.

One move-in.
One chance to document it.