Santa Barbara is considering stronger tenant protections as evictions spike statewide.
A statewide trend nicknamed “renovictions” is defined by tenant advocates as a loophole landlords use to evict tenants or pressure them to leave through harassment to remodel a property with the intent of renting it out at a higher price.
On Tuesday, the City of Santa Barbara's Ordinance Committee unanimously voted to send an updated draft ordinance to the city council focused on the “right of first refusal” for tenants, allowing displaced renters to return with no more than a 10 percent rent increase, and calls for landlords to be prohibited from harassment of any kind toward tenants.
Some property owners argue that the ordinance unfairly affects smaller rental property operators, stressing that renovation costs without rental increases could put small landlords out of business.
The draft will go before the city council early next year.
