Landlord Atlas

Santa Barbara, California: Temporary Rent Increase Moratorium

Verified September 16, 2026 All California topics →

Santa Barbara has no permanent rent control, but a temporary rent freeze is in force: since February 26, 2026 a landlord may not raise the base rent at all on a unit issued a certificate of occupancy on or before February 1, 1995, and that freeze ends December 31, 2026 unless a permanent program replaces it sooner.

Cited to Santa Barbara Ordinance No. 2026-6206 (Temporary Rent Increase Moratorium; adopted January 27, 2026; effective February 26, 2026; expires December 31, 2026) and 17 more sources · Verified September 16, 2026

For every unit the freeze does not cover, the limit is the statewide one, 5% plus the change in the cost of living or 10%, whichever is lower. Santa Barbara has required just cause to end a tenancy since 2020, pays each displaced tenant 2 months of rent within 15 calendar days of the notice, and gives that tenant the right to come back to the unit for two years. Guides that say Santa Barbara has rent control are describing a temporary measure with an expiration date on it, and guides that say the city has no rent regulation at all are wrong today.

Current published figures

Figure Value Applies to Source
Maximum local rent increase (temporary freeze) 0% February 26, 2026 to December 31, 2026 Official source
Relocation payment for a no-fault termination 2 months of the rent in effect when the notice was issued Set May 9, 2023; in effect through 2026 Official source
Maximum annual rent increase, statewide, for units the freeze does not cover 8.6% — computed from the statutory formula (5% plus the 3.6% change in the California Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers from April 2025 to April 2026, rounded to the nearest tenth; capped at 10%) August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027 Official source

These figures change on a published cycle; each row states the window it applies to and links the source that published it. Confirm the current figure at the source before acting on it.

What is in force

In force today. Santa Barbara's Temporary Rent Increase Moratorium, Ordinance No. 2026-6206, was adopted January 27, 2026 and took effect February 26, 2026. While it is in effect a landlord may not raise the base rent of a covered unit at all. It expires on December 31, 2026, or on the day a permanent rent stabilization program takes effect, whichever comes first, and the City Council is scheduled to consider a permanent ordinance on September 22, 2026. The city has no permanent rent cap behind it, so for every unit the freeze does not cover, and for every unit once it lapses, the limit is the statewide one. Separately, and with no expiration date, Santa Barbara has required just cause to end a tenancy since 2020.

The rent increase limit

The limit is a freeze, not a percentage: while Ordinance No. 2026-6206 is in effect a landlord may not increase the base rent of a covered unit by any amount. Base rent means the rent in effect on December 16, 2025 for a tenancy that began on or before that date, or the rent set at the start of occupancy for a tenancy that began after it. Cutting a service that rent covers, or requiring the tenant to start paying a provider directly, counts as an increase unless the rent drops to match. An increase taken after December 16, 2025 but before the freeze began does not raise the base rent, and the ordinance says that amount will be counted against future increases allowed under a permanent program. There is no banking, no hardship or fair return petition, and no exception procedure of any kind in the ordinance. No city agency publishes an annual percentage, because there is no percentage to publish. For units the freeze does not cover, the statewide limit applies: 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, which works out to 8.6% for increases taking effect between August 1, 2026 and July 31, 2027.

What housing is covered

The two laws cover different sets of units. The temporary freeze reaches every residential rental unit issued a certificate of occupancy on or before February 1, 1995, except units that can be sold separately from any other dwelling unit, hotels and other short lodging until the same tenant has lived there as a primary residence for more than 30 days, hospitals and other institutional housing, publicly owned or nonprofit units under a recorded affordability covenant, government units that state or federal law exempts from local rent control, units where a rental subsidy sets the tenant's share of the rent, and permitted vacation rentals of 30 days or less. The just cause law covers all rental units except transient and tourist hotel stays, nonprofit hospitals, religious facilities, extended care and licensed elderly residential care facilities, dormitories, housing where the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with an owner who lives there, owner-occupied single-family homes including ones where the owner rents out no more than two units or bedrooms, a two-unit building where the owner has lived in one unit since the tenancy began, housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years, separately sellable units whose owner is not a real estate investment trust, a corporation or a limited liability company with a corporate member and who gave the tenant the required written notice, and deed-restricted affordable housing. That last exception does not reach a tenancy assisted by a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher where the housing is not otherwise restricted. Just cause protections attach only after a tenant has lived in the unit, or had the legal right to, for 12 months.

What happens on vacancy

There is no vacancy control. A landlord may set the rent at any amount at the start of a new tenancy, limited only by state law. The ordinance says so directly: for a tenancy beginning after December 16, 2025, the base rent is the rate set at the start of occupancy, provided it was set in accordance with state law. One narrow exception runs the other way. Where a tenant was put out for a substantial remodel and takes up the right of first refusal to return, the rent may not exceed the old rent plus 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower, and the law treats the interruption as though the original lease never ended. Where an owner move-in falls through, because the person did not move in within 90 days or did not stay 12 months, the unit must be offered back at the same rent and terms the tenant had before.

Eviction and termination rules

Santa Barbara requires just cause to end a tenancy, and the reason must be stated in full in the termination notice. At-fault reasons include not paying rent, breaking a material lease term after written notice to correct it, nuisance, waste, refusing to sign a renewal of the same length and similar terms after a written offer, criminal activity, subletting in violation of the lease, refusing lawful entry, and unlawful use of the unit; a criminal threat aimed at a tenant who is a victim of domestic violence can never be the basis for evicting that tenant. No-fault reasons are limited to move-in by the owner or a close relative, permanent withdrawal of the unit from the rental market, compliance with a habitability or vacate order, and demolition or substantial remodel. On any no-fault notice the landlord owes each qualified tenant 2 months of the rent that was in effect when the notice was issued, paid within 15 calendar days after the notice is served; where several qualified tenants share a unit that payment is divided equally among them. A landlord who gives an extra no-fault warning at least 60 days ahead may pay half within 15 days and the rest when the tenant hands over the unit. A tenant put out on a no-fault ground has the right of first refusal to return to the unit, or a comparable new unit at the same property, for two years, so long as the tenant keeps the landlord informed of how to reach them; the offer must be a written lease held open at least 30 days, and after a substantial remodel the rent on return may not exceed the old rent plus 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower. A substantial remodel eviction also requires permits in hand, a signed opinion from an independent licensed construction expert that the work cannot be done safely with the tenant in place and needs at least 30 days' vacancy, that opinion filed with the building permit application, and no re-renting until the Chief Building Official confirms in writing that the work is finished. An owner who buys a property with five or more rental units may not start a demolition or substantial remodel eviction for one year after buying it. An owner withdrawing units from the rental market must withdraw all of them, give every tenant notice at the same time, and may not rent the property again for five years. Missing any required notice, leaving required information out of one, or paying relocation late is a defense to an eviction case, and an owner who tries to end a tenancy in material violation can owe actual damages, attorney's fees, and up to three times actual damages where the conduct was willful or malicious.

Other requirements

Santa Barbara also requires landlords to offer a written lease of at least one year. The offer must be in writing, a tenant's rejection must be written and signed on a dated one-page form, and the offer must be repeated every year, including to a tenant who turned down the first one but has rented for at least 12 months. Rent under such a lease is fixed for the term. A landlord who does not comply loses the right both to recover possession and to collect the increase. A separate law bars landlord harassment: cutting services, dragging out repairs, abusing the right of entry, threatening harm, misleading a tenant about having to move or about their rights under the city's housing laws, repeat buyout offers after the tenant says stop, threats about immigration status, asking about immigration or citizenship status, refusing lawful rent, interfering with tenants who organize or form a tenant association or union, and intruding on privacy. A tenant who wins in court gets actual damages or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater. The city's discrimination law adds political affiliation to the protected categories, bars charging extra rent per occupant and arbitrary income tests, and presumes discrimination where a landlord turns down someone who can show they are able to pay. Before or when serving a notice to quit, a landlord must file a statement with the City Clerk on the city's form. There is no rental registry, but anyone renting out three or more units owes an annual city business tax based on gross receipts. The city runs a free Rental Housing Mediation Program for landlord and tenant disputes, which is neutral and does not give legal advice; a landlord who chooses not to renew a one-year lease must offer the tenant a conciliation session through that program or a mutually chosen mediator. Mobile home and recreational vehicle park spaces have had their own separate space-rent law since 1984.

Notes and caveats

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Santa Barbara, California: Temporary Rent Increase Moratorium (verified September 16, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/california/santa-barbara/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified).

Citations

This page records local law. Statewide laws — deposits, notice periods, late fees, entry, evictions — live on the California hub, and the state-level position on local rent regulation appears there with its own citations and verification date.