It says under California Civil Code 1950.5 that the tenant has a right to initial inspection of the unit prior to moving out. My landlord notified me of this and I requested on a written form to them to have this done and that I waived the right to 48-hour notice for them to enter (since I'm never home). This was never done, and after contacting them several times after that to get it taken care of it was still not done, and my time to move out had come.

Now they're charging me for damage that wasn't mine (but also was initially missed on the initial inspection.)

They obviously violated my right to have an initial inspection completed, but 1950.5 doesn't say what happens if they fail to do this.

Do I have a case for small claims court?

Thanks

Take pictures before you leave, give them written notice of the violation of 1950.5, make sure you clean the apartment before leaving.

I've already left, and I cleaned everything before I left. Unfortunately I was so busy with moving out I had no time to address it before I moved out.

I've informed them of their violation of 1950.5 and they said that the pre-move out initial inspection doesn't matter, only the final one.