Six months into the Isla Vista Rental Housing Inspection Pilot Program, 259 units have been inspected with 69 needing repairs.

According to SBC Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, the program aims to improve the health and safety of I.V. residents. Shengyu Zhang / Daily Nexus

The Rental Housing Inspection Pilot Program was unanimously approved by the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors in May, with inspections beginning in August. The program is funded by the 2024 settlement of a lawsuit Santa Barbara County (SBC) brought against UC Santa Barbara for failing to meet the requirements of their 2010 Long Range Development Plan. 

According to SBC Second District Supervisor Laura Capps, the program aims to improve the health and safety of I.V. residents. In the year leading up to the program, Capps and community groups publicized the program, encouraging landlords to register their properties with SBC and remedy issues before inspections began.

“The hope was that a lot of issues would be taken care of before the program even started, and so that the program wouldn’t be necessary,” Capps said in an interview with the Nexus. “The fact that we’re not seeing a huge amount of things that need to be remedied is both good news but also somewhat expected because of what we did on the front end.” 

According to Capps, around 100 properties had been “closed out,” meaning either no violations were found or violations had been remedied. Common issues found by inspectors include mold, exposed wiring and fences below county requirements. 

The roof of 6503 Del Playa caved in after recent storms. Tenants had initially refused a county inspection. Photo Courtesy Eleanor Gartner.

In August, the Isla Vista Rental Property Owners Association sued the county to get a preliminary injunction to stop the program, however it was denied. 

According to Capps, some tenants have refused inspections due to misinformation and lease agreements requiring them to deny inspections. Capps cited one instance at a property on the 65 block of Del Playa Drive where tenants who initially refused inspections called the county after recent storms caused severe water damage and a sunken roof.

“The inspector came out [to 65 Del Playa Drive] and did the inspection and worked with the property owner and fixed it,” Capps said. “It ended up being a good outcome, but initially they had denied the inspection.”

The program will end in June 2026.

A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the Jan. 15 print edition of the Daily Nexus.