If you’ve followed local government lately, you may have heard about proposals to create a rental registry and inspection program. The idea is simple on paper. Make a list of every rental home, keep track of who owns it, and check on the condition of the units. The goal is safe housing, which everyone can agree on. My family, your family, every family deserves that.
Supporters say a registry will help with code enforcement. Fair point. But we already have a code enforcement department. They know the rules, and they already respond to complaints. Building a whole new system from scratch will cost more in tax dollars, and that means other city priorities are impacted. Instead, we could simply do more to make sure the community knows about the existing resource. Too many people point out that they don’t know how the system works, and that’s unacceptable. Our government keeps passing ordinances, but if the public doesn’t know about them, how are they supposed to benefit from them? Making the process more transparent is the practical choice, even if it is not the most exciting thing to talk about over coffee.
There’s also the concern about unintended fallout. If a new mandatory inspection turns up something arbitrary that a city requires replacing, tenants could be asked to move out during repairs. In a tight market like ours, where do they go? Our cities have made sure that supply hasn’t kept up with demand, so there’s a lot less housing today than is needed. Plus, the cost of that relocation could be detrimental to the housing provider. Having to forego rent plus pay for a tenant’s relocation plus the costs of an unanticipated repair could mean they don’t have the money to pay the mortgage or property taxes or insurance, all of which keep going up every year.
To be clear, most rental housing in our area is owned by your friends, neighbors, family, and other community members. Think one, two, or three units, not some mega-corporation with a private jet. These are retirees, teachers, and families. When we add new fees and paperwork, the cost usually trickles down. Most owners are not sitting on piles of cash; they adjust rent to cover new expenses. That is how math works, at least last time I checked.
There are more sensible ways to improve rental safety. For example:
• Keep accurate ownership information without charging registration fees.
• Focus inspections on actual complaints.
• Partner with renters and property owners on education, so problems get fixed early.
None of this is dramatic. But it keeps attention on the small number of problem properties while protecting families who just want a stable place to live.
I’m not interested in housing providers vs tenants, or government vs property owners. It is not helpful, and quite frankly, it gets old. We live in a small community. We see each other at the grocery store. We stand next to each other at Little League games. Treating anyone like the enemy does not make housing safer or more affordable.
This should not be a fight. We all want safe homes. We also need homes that people can afford to stay in. Both can happen if we work together instead of pointing fingers.
My job is to advocate for housing that is both safe and available. I promise you this: when I see a good idea, I will say so. When I see a plan that could raise costs or shrink supply, I will speak up. Not because I enjoy public meetings (I assure you, no one does), but because this community matters to me.
Santa Barbara is worth the effort. Let’s keep talking, keep improving, and make sure the solutions we choose help people stay in their homes. If we can get that right, we all win.
