(CA) holding deposit with ambiguous dates

Hello all,

I paid a holding deposit in late November to move into an apartment on January 18th when my current lease ends but now management is saying the earliest I can move in is the 31st. The holding agreement states “owner and/or agent shall not be liable to resident for damages for failure to deliver possession of the premises by the date herein stated, beyond return of the deposit. After acceptance, the daily rental rate is $$$ per day shall be deducted from the deposit.” There is no date stated unless that refers to the date the deposit was paid. If the manager changes the move-in date, can I request the full deposit back or do I have to pay the daily rent as of signing the deposit form?

Context:

A few days ago, the property manager told me it will be the 20th instead of the 18th (which is annoying but fine for my circumstances). Yesterday I was told the new move in date will be January 31st at the earliest (the manager said it could be even later) and they asked me to extend my current lease to wait it out. I extended my current lease to the 31st to give myself time and not be homeless, but the new property manager doesn’t know that. I’m applying for other places because I no longer trust the management or that the new apartment will be ready in time. Also management hasn’t allowed me to sign a new lease yet.