Your landlord may legally require a pet deposit before you move in.Under California law, however, a security deposit by any other name is still a security deposit. The state allows landlords to collect no more than two months' rent in the form of a deposit, whether they call it a security deposit or a pet deposit. As such, any security, pet or other deposits your landlord asks for cannot exceed a combined total of more than two months' worth of your rent. About Laws