Upon the vacancy of a rental property, certain immediate actions are necessary, regardless of whether the lease has ended and the tenants have departed, or if the property was abandoned due to eviction or an unplanned move-out. Some tasks may be apparent, while others could catch you off guard, such as discovering a tenant’s abandoned pet. While this may seem like an unlikely event, you should be prepared if you find an unwanted animal in your empty unit.
Initial Actions After Tenant Departure
If the tenant leaves upon lease termination, no further steps are required before securing the unit, as you already possess it. However, if the tenant abandons the property, you must first obtain documents that conclude the residency, thus returning the unit to you.
Once in possession, promptly secure the property. While a locksmith may not be immediately available, ensure doors are locked, windows are closed and latched, and faucets are functional and turned off. Inspect the refrigerator (reconnect if necessary) and discard expired food. If a smell is present, locate and remove the source if possible, though deep cleaning isn’t required at this stage.
State regulations dictate the handling of abandoned property under the “move and store” law. If a tenant leaves personal belongings, you must transport and safely store them for up to six months, which necessitates a court order. Consult your attorney before removing items.
Where to Look When You Walk the Unit
A frightened animal does not wait by the front door. Cats especially wedge themselves into the quietest, darkest spot they can find, so a quick glance through the rooms is not enough. Walk the unit room by room and check the places a pet would actually retreat to:
- Closets and cabinets: back corners of bedroom closets, the under-sink cabinet, the water-heater closet
- Behind and under appliances: behind the refrigerator, under the range, inside a disconnected washer or dryer
- Bathrooms: behind the toilet, inside the tub or shower surround, under a pedestal sink
- Garage and storage: rafters, shelving, and any boxes left behind
- Attic and crawl space: open access hatches and loose vents a small animal can slip through
- Outdoors on the lot: under the deck or porch, inside the shed, along the fence line
Look for the traces an animal leaves behind regardless of what the tenant told you, as they may have kept a pet without your knowledge. You might find food or water bowls, a litter box, or bedding left behind. There could be scratch marks on the door frames and window sills, or chewed blinds and carpet edges. Urine staining and odor tends to work down into the carpet, the padding, and the subfloor beneath, and feces can turn up in a closet, in a corner, or out in the yard. Screens and door thresholds often show the claw or teeth damage that gives a hidden pet away, and those signs tell you where to concentrate the cleaning.
You May Have Animals Removed Immediately
Luckily, in California, landlords may request immediate assistance from animal control for any abandoned animals in their rental units. Under Assembly Bill 2949, in force since January 1, 2009 and codified in Civil Code section 1834.5, if an animal is left behind at a property after it’s been vacated due to foreclosure or a lease ending, the person or private entity in charge of the property must promptly inform the relevant animal control officials about the abandoned animal.
Under this law, the person or private entity responsible for the property won’t be considered the animal’s caretaker or face additional criminal or civil liabilities, aside from a possible lien for the cost of the rescue. However, they are still subject to all local ordinances and state laws regarding proper care and treatment of animals.
Backed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the California Animal Association, the law’s goal is to allow animal control officials to swiftly rescue abandoned pets. Before this law, many local government agencies in California would wait between 24 and 72 hours after a pet was left in an empty home before retrieving the animal and providing food and shelter.
The law specifies “animals,” not “pets.” Check for animals regardless of your tenant’s pet ownership, as they may have acquired one without your knowledge. Any animal discovered in the vacant unit is considered abandoned. If you discover an illegal pet in your unit, you’ll also know to check your units for pets more thoroughly. The best way to avoid having unregistered or illegal pets in your rentals is to allow tenants to have pets and maintain reasonable rules and fees surrounding pets in the building.
Of course, if an abandoned pet is found, contact your former tenant first. They may be grateful to know their pet is safe. If you’re unable to reach them, you don’t have to wait any period of time to get assistance with removing the pet.
Pet Damage or Ordinary Wear and Tear?
Once the unit is secure, the next question is what you can actually charge for. Some of the damage is apparent, while some could catch you off guard, such as pet hair or a faint odor that a routine cleaning takes care of. The best way to sort it out is to separate ordinary wear and tear from genuine pet damage. Wear and tear comes with normal use and cannot be deducted, so light scuffs, faded paint, a few surface scratches on hardwood, minor carpet matting in the walkways, and a small amount of pet hair are all on you, not the tenant.
Damage beyond that is a different matter, and you can generally charge it against the deposit. That is the carpet torn or shredded down to the padding, deep gouges in the hardwood or the cabinet doors, urine that soaked through into the subfloor, and chewed door frames or window sills. Torn screens, scratched exterior doors, and any staining or odor that needs sealing or replacement rather than cleaning belong on the same side of the line.
What California’s Current Deposit Rules Mean Here
The rules around deposits tightened recently, and they shape how much you can hold and what you must prove before you keep any of it. Two changes matter most for a landlord staring at pet damage in a vacated unit:
- Deposit cap (Assembly Bill 12, effective July 1, 2024): the security deposit is limited to one month’s rent, furnished or unfurnished, and any pet deposit counts inside that one month. Small landlords who own no more than two properties totaling no more than four units may still collect up to two months’ rent.
- Photo documentation (Assembly Bill 2801): move-out photos, taken before any cleaning or repair, plus post-repair photos have been required since April 1, 2025; move-in photos are required for tenancies that began on or after July 1, 2025.
- Itemized statement: you still have 21 days after move-out to return the deposit or send an itemized statement, and any deduction now has to be backed by receipts or invoices and the photos above.
The practical takeaway is that documentation is what separates a defensible pet-damage deduction from a dispute you lose. Photograph the unit before the tenancy and again the moment it is returned, keep the invoices for any repair, and describe each charge plainly. A good property manager will already do this as a matter of course, which is one more reason it pays to have one handling the move-out.
It’s important to check your vacated units immediately. If there does happen to be an abandoned animal in your unit, you don’t want to leave it stuck there for a few days. Additionally, as the law states, although you aren’t considered the animal’s owner, you are responsible for providing proper care to the animal from that point. Neglecting to check for abandoned animals may cause significant damage to your rental property and negatively impact the animal’s well-being.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do pets hide in a vacant unit?
A frightened animal does not wait by the front door. Cats especially wedge themselves into the quietest, darkest spot they can find, so a quick glance through the rooms is not enough. You might find one in the back corners of a bedroom closet, in the under-sink cabinet or the water-heater closet, behind the refrigerator, under the range, or behind the toilet.
What signs show that a tenant kept a hidden pet?
Look for the traces an animal leaves behind regardless of what the tenant told you, as they may have kept a pet without your knowledge. You might find food or water bowls, a litter box, or bedding left behind. There could be scratch marks on the door frames and window sills, or chewed blinds and carpet edges, and urine staining and odor tends to work down into the carpet, the padding, and the subfloor beneath.