The chief operating officer of Core Spaces is speaking out about the reasons the company sent eviction notices to 550 tenants of its Isla Vista apartment buildings.

The company in March posted eviction notices on doors saying that its buildings, CBC and The Sweeps, needed to be renovated and that tenants would have to move at the end of their leases.

The apartment buildings are home to UCSB students and families. The surprise evictions sparked widespread community opposition, and a feeling that the corporation was evicting tenants so that it could make renovations and then increase the rents.

“If we do nothing, there is no long-term future for this property,” said Chris Richards, COO of Core Spaces. “This building is almost 60 years old. It requires some work.”

She said the changes necessary include replacing the roof, windows and electrical panels, along with years of deferred maintenance.

The best way to improve the building, she said, is to make the renovations as soon as possible.

“The path that is faster and better for this community is the renovation plan,” Richards said.

The eviction notices, however, come at a time when property owners have been investing in apartments in record numbers, making repairs and then increasing the rents. Critics call this practice “renovictions.” Typically, the tenants who live at the apartments at the time of eviction aren’t offered their apartment back, and if they are, it’s not at the rent that they paid.

Richards said that once the building is finished, the rents will increase.

“I can’t tell you what the rents will be, but the rates will be set based on the market,” Richards said.

She said that 70% of the tenants have picked up $7,000 relocation checks and that the rest have not because their leases aren’t up.

However, it’s a different narrative than what the union representing the tenants says.

“This is about spiking rents even further and evicting the most vulnerable populations to make a quick buck,” according to a statement from the newly formed Core Spaces Tenants Association. “While some units have been neglected by past management, others are in good shape and don’t need to be renovated. A blanket eviction shows how Core is prioritizing profits over people. They’re not even taking the time to assess individual units.”

Richards said it’s not possible to renovate portions of the building at a time. The company has submitted permit applications to renovate the building with the county, an act it did after the tenant eviction notices.

Laura Capps, Santa Barbara County Second District supervisor, has led the charge to represent the Isla Vista tenants and push back against Core Spaces.

“Core Spaces is doing what’s right for Core Spaces,” Capps said. “It’s about their profits over our people. For them to claim otherwise adds salt in the wounds for almost a thousand people who are scrambling to find shelter.”

Capps said that if Core Spaces really cared about the community, it would offer tenants a right to return at their current rental rate.

“We are taking seriously what we heard directly from tenants that these termination notices could have a disparate impact on protected class of persons in state and federal housing laws,” Capps said. “At face value, they are displacing a thousand people of people in a 1% housing vacancy rental rate with high rents and little inventory.”

Richards said she understands the concerns and that the company learned some lessons in its communication about the evictions.

“From the messaging perspective, what we could have done better was have it presented in both English and Spanish,” Richards said. “We didn’t think about it, honestly. We regret that.”

Still, she said, there are critical maintenance problems in the building and that “there could be a plethora of things going on in the building.”

She said she “absolutely respects” the freedom of speech of the union.

“I promise you, we did think this through,” Richards said. “It is best for us to keep residents living in units and paying rents, but the amount of work that needs to be done, this is the fastest way to get this housing back online.”

Richards said she wants the community to know that the company does care about the tenants. Anyone who has a specific request won’t be kicked out of the building.

“You are not going to be on the street for graduation or the end of school,” Richards said. “We are humans, too. They just have to tell us.”