Carpet cleaning at move-out, and the deposit rules California sets

What a landlord can deduct from a security deposit for carpet

Civil Code 1950.5 allows deductions for cleaning only as far as needed to return the unit to the level of cleanliness it had when the tenancy began. Ordinary wear and tear can’t be charged. For carpet, flattened traffic paths on an aging carpet are wear; stains, pet damage and soil beyond what was there at move-in are what a deduction can cover, and what a carpet cleaning before the walk-through is meant to take out.

A general summary of California law, offered as information; it is not legal advice.

When the lease requires carpet cleaning at move-out

A lease can say the carpet should be cleaned at move-out, but any charge against the deposit still has to meet the same test: reasonable, and tied to the move-in condition. Ask the landlord in writing what they expect, and keep the receipt from the cleaning company with the date and rooms on it.

The photo rules since 2025

Starting April 1, 2025, the landlord has to photograph the unit at two points: within a reasonable time after regaining possession, before any repair or cleaning work whose cost will come out of the deposit, and a second time when that work is finished. When a tenancy’s start date is July 1, 2025 or later, the landlord also has to take move-in photos. Unless the deductions come to $125 or less, the tenant receives the photos along with the itemized statement.

Your own photos help too: every carpeted room shot from the same spots on move-in day and again on the day you return the keys, with close-ups of any stain that was already there.

A move-out timeline

1. About two weeks out

   Ask for the initial inspection the law allows before you leave, so you hear what the landlord would deduct while there is time to fix it.

2. Furniture out

   Book the cleaning for after the last load leaves; empty rooms clean faster and more evenly.

3. Before the walk-through

   Leave time to dry: carpet cleaned by hot water extraction may stay damp anywhere from 8 to 24 hours, Stanley Steemer estimates.

4. Keys back

   Take your photos, and keep the receipt.

5. Within 21 days

   The landlord returns the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions.

What a move-out cleaning costs

At national rates, a two-room apartment of about 400 square feet comes to $150 to $250 by the room or $80 to $160 by the square foot (using HomeAdvisor’s rates of $75–$125 per room and $0.20–$0.40 per square foot). Pet urine treatment, if it is needed, is its own line: $40–$300 for stain removal on Angi’s figures. The price guide works through larger homes.

National figures, not quotes: the cleaning company sets the price for your home before any work.

Moving out of a Camarillo apartment or house

In the 2020 census, 34.2% of Camarillo’s occupied homes were rented, and in Oxnard 46.4%. Camarillo’s apartments include AMLI Spanish Hills, with 384 units, and Avalon Mission Oaks, with 160. For a move-out carpet cleaning in an apartment or a condo, find out where the cleaning company’s van is allowed to park by asking the manager or the association; Spanish Hills and Mission Oaks have their own pages.

Sources

The cleaning prices on this page are national figures, read in October 2026 in the price guides listed below; none is a quote, and no Camarillo average turned up in the price guides checked. Facts about Camarillo come from the local pages listed.

• California Civil Code section 1950.5, security deposits (as amended through 2025)
• Wikipedia, Camarillo, California
• Wikipedia, Oxnard, California
• City of Camarillo, 2021–2029 Housing Element (adopted September 29, 2021)
• Stanley Steemer, frequently asked questions
• HomeAdvisor, carpet cleaning cost (updated June 17, 2026)
• Angi, carpet cleaning cost (2026 data, updated September 21, 2026)