Isla Vista property owners and landlords gave students information about off-campus housing options during the Rental Faire in the Arbor on Tuesday, describing this year’s local housing market as “soft.”

The Rental Faire – sponsored by the UCSB Community Housing Office (CHO) – allowed students to talk with companies directly about rental policies in Isla Vista. Local property managers from BDC, Conquest, Estee, Sierra Property Management and Wolfe & Associates attended the fair, giving out information about housing options and the application process. Students could also collect housing applications and information describing housing architecture, utilities, building facilities, leasing terms and monthly rent.

Rob Kooyman, president of local property manager BDC, said the current state of the housing market makes it a good time for students to enter.

“The market is soft because there are more housing options,” Kooyman said.

Roane Akchurin, CHO manager and Rental Faire coordinator, said that students seeking housing in Isla Vista should take advantage of the soft market by considering more than one possible listing.

“Students should have three or four housing options,” Akchurin said. “[Students] should keep [their] housing and roommate options open.”

Akchurin said that first-time off-campus housing choices are an important step for students to establish a good credit record and to receive positive references for future housing.

Jackie Mattice, a CHO listing coordinator, said the average rent for a studio in Isla Vista is $830 per month, while the average monthly rent on a two-bedroom duplex is $2330 per month, increasing to $3088 per month for a three-bedroom duplex. Prices start around $2050 per month for a two-bedroom house, while monthly rent on five-bedroom houses can run as a high as $5077.

One-bedroom apartments in Isla Vista average a monthly price of $1012, and a four-bedroom apartment averages $4400 per month, Mattice said.

She also said these prices vary depending on where the house or apartment is located in Isla Vista. Someone wanting to live the ocean side of Del Playa Drive, for instance, should expect to pay higher rent.

Natasha Buffo, an undeclared freshman, said that she appreciated the breadth of information that the fair provided.

“A lot of people who look on the Internet can’t find as much information as they [can] find here,” Buffo said.