Answer
Mar 23, 2026 - 08:43 PM
Hi Chumley@740,
n California, an “extra deposit” doesn’t become refundable just because time has passed. What matters is what that payment actually was.
If it was part of the security deposit, regardless of how it was labeled, it’s held for the duration of the tenancy and only accounted for when the tenant moves out. There’s no requirement to return it mid-lease.
However, if the payment was really prepaid rent or an overpayment, it shouldn’t just sit there. It needs to be applied to rent or returned. And if the total deposit collected exceeded California’s legal limits, the excess may need to be refunded.
So the key isn’t when it was collected but how it was classified.
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