In a move that could reshape tenant rights in Santa Barbara, the City Council has taken a decisive step toward possibly implementing a right-to-return policy by instructing city staff to revise the existing Just Cause ordinance. The new provisions aim to prevent “renovictions,” a term used to describe evictions carried out under the guise of necessary renovations.
During a closely contested vote on Tuesday, the council ended with a 4-3 decision in favor of drafting the right-to-return policy, setting the stage for a significant decision scheduled for April 8.
Council members Meagan Harmon, Kristen Sneddon, Oscar Gutierrez, and Wendy Santamaria backed the proposal, emphasizing the necessity to ensure tenants’ ability to return to their homes post-renovation without facing prohibitive rent increases.
Under the proposed policy, landlords would be restricted from raising rents by more than a total of 10% after renovations, calculated as the original rent plus an additional 5%, inclusive of cost-of-living adjustments.
Opponents of the measure, including Councilmen Eric Friedman and Mike Jordan, along with Mayor Randy Rowse, argued that such restrictions could discourage property owners from upgrading and investing in their properties. They contended that the policy might lead to economic drawbacks for landlords and could inadvertently slow down the overall pace of building improvements within the city.
In addition to rent increase caps, the policy changes would require landlords to produce a written opinion from an independent, licensed construction expert. This document must detail why renovations cannot be safely conducted with tenants in the property and must assert that the work necessitates a tenant’s absence for a minimum of 30 consecutive days.
As the final vote approaches on April 8, both supporters and critics of the policy are gearing up for what promises to be a substantial decision, one that could offer greater security and stability for tenants while posing new challenges and considerations for property owners in Santa Barbara.
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The Council should read Peter Rupert’s report on the impacts of “renoviction”. (He heads the UCSB Economic Forecast study)
https://www.noozhawk.com/peter-rupert-santa-barbara-renoviction-policies-will-backfire-on-renters/
Perhaps they wouldn’t be so quick to think that they are helping the situation by pushing this through.
Leaves me wondering if property owners retain any rights….
Yeah, terrible idea. Government overreach and a losing strategy from the politicians once again.