Since April 2025, California landlords must photograph every unit at move-out and after any repair they deduct for — on every tenancy, whenever it started. Since July 2025, new tenancies need move-in photos too. Amavera covers every one of those photos: move-in and move-out inspections that walk you through the unit room by room, and maintenance documentation for the before-and-after photos of each repair or cleaning job. Every report is sealed with an independent timestamp.
Your first report is free. After that, pay only when a tenant moves: $30 a report, or from $21 in bundles. No subscription.
Assembly Bill 2801 amends California Civil Code §1950.5. Landlords must photograph the unit within a reasonable time after the tenant moves out, before any repair or cleaning they'll deduct for, and again after that work is done. For tenancies beginning July 1, 2025 or later, they must also photograph it at or immediately before move-in. The move-out and after-repair rules took effect April 1, 2025 and apply to every tenancy no matter when it started. If you deduct for repairs or cleaning, the photos go to the tenant with the itemized statement within 21 days, unless repairs and cleaning together come to $125 or less. A landlord who fails in bad faith to provide them loses the right to claim any amount from the security deposit.
Checked against Civil Code § 1950.5 as of October 2026. For the rest of the deposit rules (how much you can charge, what you can deduct, the pre-move-out inspection), see the California security deposit law guide →
Free: a printable move-in and move-out checklist for California rentals, with these photo steps and a 21-day deadline calculator. Get the checklist →
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.
Because AB 2801 places the documentation obligation on you — not your tenant — you need to do the inspection yourself. Here's the exact workflow:
When your tenant moves out, repeat the same process before any cleaning or repair starts. Then use the Comparison Report in the portal to see a room-by-room analysis of every change — classified as normal wear or damage beyond ordinary use.
For each repair or cleaning job you'll deduct for, start Maintenance documentation in the app: photograph the item before the work, add the after photos to the same job once it's done, and generate one sealed Maintenance report (one report credit per job). Together, these are the photos AB 2801 requires. You send them with your itemized statement, along with the repair invoices or receipts.
AB 2801 doesn't say how photos must be dated. But when a tenant contests a deduction, the date is the first thing in question, and a phone's timestamp is metadata that can be changed in seconds. Amavera seals every report differently:
A landlord who in bad faith fails to send the required photos and receipts with the itemized statement loses the right to claim any amount from the security deposit. Keeping a deposit in bad faith can also cost statutory damages of up to twice the deposit. And a deduction you can't document is far harder to defend, even when the damage is real.
If you manage more than a handful of units, you're doing move-in and move-out inspections constantly. Buy a Pro 30 bundle on the portal and draw down a credit each time you walk a unit — 30 inspection reports at a significant discount, enough to cover a year's worth of turnovers for most portfolios.
Single reports available at $30 each. Bundles of 5, 10, and 20 also available.
Create a free account (your first report is free), walk the unit with the app, and send your tenant a sealed report.
Open the Landlord Portal