Isla Vista Rental Inspection Lawsuit: Landlords Sue Santa Barbara County as Students Return
Ryder Christ
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — A group of Isla Vista landlords is suing Santa Barbara County over a new rental inspection program, claiming it forces property owners to break state law and infringes on tenants’ constitutional rights.
The Isla Vista Rental Property Owners’ Association filed the complaint after supervisors approved a one-year pilot program requiring landlords to register their units and allow county inspectors to check for health, safety and unpermitted construction issues. The ordinance, adopted in June, is funded through a $3.7 million settlement with UC Santa Barbara.
Landlords’ legal arguments
Attorney Lacy L. Taylor, representing the landlords, argues the program puts owners in an impossible position.
“This ordinance requires the landlord to give notice of a general inspection and that the landlord be present for that inspection, something a landlord is not allowed to do under the express language of Civil Code section 1954,” Taylor said.
According to the county’s website, inspections are scheduled by the County, and if a unit is selected, the property owner or their agent must be notified 15 days in advance, notify the tenant, facilitate access, and be present during the inspection. The policy also notes that if the owner or agent is not present, the inspection may still proceed if the tenant authorizes lawful entry.
Landlords argue that this requirement conflicts with state law by compelling them to take actions they otherwise would not be legally permitted to do. Taylor also claims the county unfairly singles out Isla Vista.
“They’re targeting the most impacted and probably the youngest and some of the most the poorer neighborhoods in the entire county by targeting Isla Vista,” she said.
Landlords contend the program will reduce already scarce housing by forcing upgrades or closures and could drive rents even higher. They stress this is primarily a housing issue, not a safety one.
County’s rationale and outreach
County leaders maintain the program is necessary to improve housing conditions and protect tenants. Supervisor Laura Capps, who championed the initiative, said Isla Vista has long been associated with substandard housing and tenants are less likely to report problems through existing complaint-driven channels.
“The hard part about living in Isla Vista is that a lot of housing is substandard. And also tenants are younger, they’re more low income and they don’t take matters into their own hands. They don’t know that you can file a report and you can actually, you know, call the county, you can get an inspector out there,” Capps said.
She described the program as proactive rather than punitive.
“So we’re flipping the switch and we’re going to them. We’re we’re taking inspectors to the places to make sure that things get fixed.”
Capps emphasized that the county’s goal is prevention, not punishment, noting extensive outreach to landlords and tenants ahead of inspections.
Capps added that the county is covering the full cost of the inspections, landlords and tenants will pay nothing, and rents will not increase because of it. “It’s shameful some property owners would rather spend money on litigation and spreading misinformation rather than making basic repairs required by law. If their properties are safe, they should welcome an inspection,” she said.
Tenants’ experiences and perspectives
For many students, poor housing conditions are a daily reality. One tenant described waking up to signs of mold.
“Every morning we’d wake up with a black ring around our toilet,” said the tenant, adding, “the landlord told us it’s common, usually non-toxic, just friendly.”
Another recalled moving into a house that required days of cleaning and revealed deeper flaws.
“It was like pretty gross, and I think I spent like three days cleaning it,” said the tenant, adding, “we realized the floor was crooked, so everything would just roll to the end of the house.”
Other students described feeling ignored by landlords.
“Most of the times that we tried to talk to people that ran the apartment, they wouldn’t really do anything about it. They would do the bare minimum to fix it.”
Some tenants voiced support for inspections. “I think there’s so many living conditions here that people should not be living in, especially in Isla Vista, and people don’t realize that it’s a lot worse,” one said.
But others emphasized the value of trust with landlords.
“As long as I can communicate and be assured by the person I’m leasing from, that’s all I would personally need but I also do think there needs to be more,” another student said.
Debate Over Inspections
The debate over Isla Vista’s new inspection program is not only playing out in the courtroom but also in the community, where opinions are sharply divided.
Robin Unander, a local attorney who has represented both landlords and tenants, said many students feel uneasy about county inspectors entering their homes.
“Whether they are welcoming these inspections, that’s the rub that I see. My role is really communicating what I’m hearing from tenants: ‘How do I stop it? What if I don’t want them to come into my home for whatever reasons?’”
Eleanor Gartner, communications director for Supervisor Capps, said she has observed the opposite.
“The anxiety that this brings up has not been our experience,” said Gartner. “Tenants actually welcome us into their houses and they want to see some of the safety issues that they are living with and hasn’t been addressed by landlords,” said Gartner.
Unander argues that the county should restore a local, complaint-driven inspection system like Isla Vista once had.
“We used to have an inspector stationed out there in the county building, it was a complaint-driven process. Having that easy access made it no problem. Now it’s hard navigating the website, and if it’s hard, the tenants don’t want to do it.”
Gartner countered that proactive inspections are designed to lower barriers.
“There is still a complaint-based system countywide but what we found is it’s still a high bar for some students to access. This proactive approach actually supports students, makes sure that inspections are happening, taking some of the onus off tenants and bringing inspectors to the property.”
For Unander, the program risks stripping tenants of their rights.
“The whole community [is] being impacted by these intrusions, these invasions of privacy that a landlord doesn’t even have that right to, but now the tenant has no right. They are disempowered in this role in this new ordinance.”
For Gartner, safety is the county’s top priority.
“I would say that this is a safety issue at hand. The county’s number one priority in everything we do is public safety and this inspection program is part of Supervisor Capps’ effort to make Isla Vista safer for everyone.”
Unander emphasized that students already have legal protections against landlord retaliation and need education, not disempowerment.
“There are laws already in place to protect them from retaliation by landlords, there are resources for these tenants and it’s an easy population to educate about what their rights are. I don’t believe in disempowering them this way.”
But Gartner insisted the program gives tenants more leverage, not less.
“This proactive approach actually supports students to get connected to safety resources like this inspection program to address safety concerns in their home.”
What inspectors are finding
Inspections began in early August, and county officials say they follow a standardized checklist covering both the interior and exterior of rental properties.
According to Assistant Planning and Development Director Jeff Wilson, inspections to date have revealed only minor issues.
“We’ve only identified minor issues which we are classifying as corrective actions. They mainly include inadequate plumbing, garbage disposal not working, lack of smoke detectors, lack of carbon monoxides,” Wilson said.
The interior inspection checklist cites issues tied to state health and safety codes, including inadequate sanitation (such as lack of a working toilet, kitchen sink, or hot water), dampness or visible mold, faulty weather protection, or signs of infestation. Inspectors also check for structural hazards like defective flooring, sagging ceilings, or dilapidated walls, along with adequate ventilation, heating, and lighting.
The exterior checklist focuses on conditions around the property. Inspectors look for excess junk or overgrowth, secure trash disposal, and whether stairways, railings, and walkways are safe and free of hazards. They also examine roofs, walls, and siding for weatherproofing, ensure balconies and railings meet code, and confirm that exterior lighting, utility meters, and electrical panels are intact and functional
Where the lawsuit stands
The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, asking the court to block the program. A judge declined to halt inspections on an emergency basis, but Taylor said she plans to refile the motion for an injunction. The case is expected to be heard later this fall.