A group of Isla Vista landlords have pushed back against Santa Barbara County’s pilot rental inspection program in Isla Vista. The program allows inspectors to examine properties for unsafe or unsanitary conditions without the county receiving formal complaints about them. The Isla Vista Rental Property Owners Association, a group formed in June of this year, filed a case against the county alleging that this program violates state laws and would force landlords to violate their tenants’ Fourth Amendment rights.
“The landlords in Isla Vista are fighting the recently enacted inspection ordinance because it is overly intrusive to the tenants, forces landlords to violate their tenants’ rights, and will likely result in many students losing their housing in an already impacted housing market,” said Jami Stelter, CEO of the association and an Isla Vista landlord.
The Board of Supervisors passed the ordinance that started the program in May, after which landlords had 45 days to register their property. Inspectors reached out to landlords to notify them of inspection dates about two weeks in advance, giving the opportunity to delay the inspection once…