§ 483.020.Amount to Be Secured By Attachment In Unlawful Detainer Proceeding
Title 6.5. Attachment · Chapter 3. Actions in Which Attachment Authorized · Last amended 1998 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 483.020 supplies a specialized formula for the amount an attachment secures in an unlawful detainer proceeding, covering unpaid rent as of filing, an optional court-added estimate of rent through trial, and Section 482.110 costs and fees, subject to the same offsets as ordinary attachments with a special rule for security deposits.
(a)Subject to subdivisions (d) and (e), the amount to be secured by the attachment in an unlawful detainer proceeding is the sum of the following:
(1)The amount of the rent due and unpaid as of the date of filing the complaint in the unlawful detainer proceeding.
(2)Any additional amount included by the court under subdivision (c).
(3)Any additional amount included by the court under Section 482.110.
(b)In an unlawful detainer proceeding, the plaintiff's application for a right to attach order and a writ of attachment pursuant to this title may include (in addition to the rent due and unpaid as of the date of the filing of the complaint and any additional estimated amount authorized by Section 482.110) an amount equal to the rent for the period from the date the complaint is filed until the estimated date of judgment or such earlier estimated date as possession has been or is likely to be delivered to the plaintiff, such amount to be computed at the rate provided in the lease.
(c)The amount to be secured by the attachment in the unlawful detainer proceeding may, in the discretion of the court, include an additional amount equal to the amount of rent for the period from the date the complaint is filed until the estimated date of judgment or such earlier estimated date as possession has been or is likely to be delivered to the plaintiff, such amount to be computed at the rate provided in the lease.
(d)Except as provided in subdivision (e), the amount to be secured by the attachment as otherwise determined under this section shall be reduced by the amounts described in subdivision (b) of Section 483.015.
(e)Where the plaintiff has received a payment or holds a deposit to secure (1) the payment of rent and the performance of other obligations under the lease or (2) only the performance of other obligations under the lease, the amount of the payment or deposit shall not be subtracted in determining the amount to be secured by the attachment.
Plain-English Summary
Unlawful detainer (eviction) cases get their own version of the amount-secured formula in § 483.015, tailored to a landlord-tenant dispute over rent. Subdivision (a) starts with the rent due and unpaid as of the date the unlawful detainer complaint was filed, plus any additional amount the court adds under subdivision (c) and any estimate the court adds under § 482.110 for costs and attorney’s fees.
Subdivisions (b) and (c) let that figure reach beyond rent already due: the plaintiff’s application may include, and the court may in its discretion add, an amount for rent covering the period from the filing date through the estimated judgment date (or an earlier date if possession is likely to be recovered sooner), computed at the lease rate. Subdivision (d) applies the same reductions as § 483.015(b) to this total, except as subdivision (e) provides: if the plaintiff has received a payment or holds a deposit securing rent and other lease obligations, or securing only other lease obligations, that payment or deposit is not subtracted in calculating the amount the attachment secures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an unlawful detainer attachment secure future rent, not just rent already owed?
Yes. Section 483.020(b) and (c) let the plaintiff’s application include, and the court in its discretion add, an amount for rent covering the period from the complaint’s filing date through the estimated judgment date, computed at the lease rate.
Does a security deposit reduce the amount an unlawful detainer attachment secures?
Generally no. Section 483.020(e) provides that a payment or deposit securing rent and other lease obligations, or only other lease obligations, is not subtracted in determining the amount secured.
Do the same offsets from ordinary attachments apply in unlawful detainer cases?
Yes, with one exception. Section 483.020(d) applies the same reductions described in Section 483.015(b), except for the security deposit rule in subdivision (e).
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 222, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1998.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
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