Deposit Deductions Under $125: Can You Still Ask for Receipts?

The $125 figure is an automatic-document exception

The threshold does not declare deductions of $125 or less valid. It addresses whether the landlord must automatically provide the supporting documents described in the statute with the initial accounting, subject to the statute's terms and any waiver issue.

Necessity, ordinary wear, preexisting condition, reasonableness, itemization, photographs, and the underlying amount can still matter. Keep the threshold question separate from the merits of the charge.

Add repair and cleaning deductions together

A statement with $70 cleaning and $70 repair has $140 in combined repair-and-cleaning deductions even though neither line exceeds $125. A separate unpaid-rent line is not automatically part of that documentation threshold.

1. Copy every deduction from the itemized statement.
2. Classify each as repair, cleaning, unpaid rent, restoration of landlord property, or another stated category.
3. Total repair and cleaning lines together rather than testing each line separately.
4. Record whether the combined amount is below, equal to, or above $125.
5. Keep classification questions visible instead of forcing an unclear charge into one category.

Use both 14-day windows carefully

The tenant request must be made within 14 calendar days after receiving the itemized statement. The landlord then generally must comply within 14 calendar days after receiving the request. These are receipt-based dates, so mailing and delivery evidence can matter.

Record when and how the statement arrived. Send the request through a traceable method, keep the exact text and attachments, and save tracking, email headers, portal timestamps, or acknowledgment.

Ask for the right records

Requesting receipts is common shorthand, but the statutory record can differ by who performed the work and what was charged. A precise request reduces arguments over whether a different type of supporting document was contemplated.

• Description, time spent, and reasonable hourly rate for landlord or employee work
• Bill, invoice, or receipt for outside work
• Provider contact information when absent from the outside document
• Bills, receipts, vendor price lists, or other qualifying supply records
• Applicable photographs and written cost explanation
• Final documentation if an authorized estimate was used

Handle a late or incomplete response proportionally

Send one concise follow-up identifying the request date, delivery date, missing records, and disputed amount. Preserve the response or silence and reconcile any documents that arrive later.

Do not claim that a missed response automatically guarantees return of the charge or bad-faith damages. Section 1950.5 includes consequences for bad-faith noncompliance, but bad faith and remedies remain fact-dependent.