Nearly 1,000 units in Isla Vista were inspected in the past year as part of Santa Barbara County’s Isla Vista housing inspection program.

The controversial program led to a lawsuit between property owners and the county plus 346 correction notices issued, according to Eleanor Gartner, deputy chief of staff for county Second District Supervisor Laura Capps’ office.

“These inspections resulted in hundreds of meaningful repairs and improvements that make homes safer for the people living in them,” Gartner said.

Improvements included electrical repairs, heat and plumbing fixes, smoke alarm updates, and deck and balcony repairs.

The county established the program last summer using $600,000 from a $3.7 million settlement with UC Santa Barbara over the university failing to create enough housing for its students and faculty.

The goal was to hold landlords accountable for doing required maintenance and make sure that Isla Vista-area apartments, which are frequently rented to UCSB students, meet basic health and safety standards.

“Everyone deserves to live in a home that’s safe — even young adults and low-income tenants,” said Capps, who supported the inspection program.

In November, there was a partial roof collapse at a Del Playa house after the tenants denied an inspection, following their landlord’s advice, according to Gartner.

The tenants then contacted the county for an inspection, and the county since has been working with the property owner to address the issue, Gartner said.

“Perhaps the most meaningful outcome has been the thousands of Isla Vista residents who are now more empowered to know their rights and where to turn when problems arise,” Capps said. “They have an active partner in the county if housing conditions fall short. Their voice matters to us as we continue to advocate for a safer Isla Vista.”

Landlords and property owners filed a lawsuit challenging the program, and argued that it discriminates against tenant rights for the county to make landlords give notice for the inspections.

Per California law, landlords can inspect properties, but they have to give tenants at least a 24-hour notice.

The Isla Vista Rental Property Owners’ Association filed a civil complaint last August, and a judge denied the request for a preliminary injunction to enforce an emergency stop of the program.

The case is now pending notification from the county that the program has ended and won’t be continuing. If that’s the case, Lacy Taylor, an attorney at Thyne, Taylor, Fox, Howard LLP who is representing the Isla Vista Rental Property Owners’ Association, said they will dismiss the lawsuit. 

The program was always designed to be a one-year pilot program, and Gartner confirmed to Noozhawk that it has concluded.

Taylor claims she learned through depositions with county inspectors and reviewing inspection reports that numerous issues were mold-related, caused by tenants not properly ventilating bathrooms.

She added that there were a number of issues with missing smoke detectors because of tenants removing them.

Taylor argued that there were not enough complaints from Isla Vista tenants to warrant the program and that the county could have used the $600,000 on something else. 

“There were maybe a total of 20 total complaints of habitability over a six- or seven-year period of time prior to (the program), which is far less than most areas of the county receive, and way less when you talk about the number of units that are out there,” Taylor said.

Tenants anywhere in the county can ask the county to inspect their property anytime if they have habitability concerns.

Critics of the program also argued that it may have caused the county to find unpermitted units, which would have led to less housing for students and residents.

“​​It was sort of absurd to me that they sued the university for not providing enough housing, and then used that money to inspect properties to look for unpermitted construction, which could have resulted in less housing for the tenants,” Taylor said.

Taylor said the only way to solve the housing issue in Isla Vista is to allow for the construction of more units, giving tenants more of a choice when it comes time to find housing.

“Everybody knows there are some bad landlords in Isla Vista. Of course there are; there are bad landlords everywhere, and there may be some properties that are not being kept up,” Taylor said. “But if you have enough supply, the owners of those properties will be forced to improve those properties if they want to get them rented.”

Noozhawk staff writer Pricila Flores contributed to this report.