Anonymous
Mayor discussing ordinance with constituent (Photo: City of Santa Barbara)
Source: City of Santa Barbara
On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, the Santa Barbara City Council acted to further protect commercial and residential tenants from eviction for nonpayment of rent due to the COVID-19 emergency.
The Temporary Eviction Moratorium Ordinance (TEMO) allows a tenant to delay paying all or part of their rent by sending a written notice to their property owner or agent within 20 days after the rent due date.
The written notice for residential tenants must describe a significant negative change to the tenant’s household financial condition that makes the tenant unable to pay all or part of their rent. For Commercial tenants, the notice must describe the unforeseeable emergency commercial conditions that make the tenant unable to pay all or part of their rent.
TEMO is effective until the expiration of Executive Order N-28-20 on May 31, 2020, unless the effect of that order is extended by the Governor or this ordinance is extended by action of the City Council.
On Tuesday’s meeting, City Council directed the City Attorney to bring back draft modifications to the ordinance that include the following:
- Institute a 12-month payback period that could be negotiated for a shorter period of time
- Back rent payments to be made in 12 equal monthly installments with no interest
- As long as the new payments were made on time there would be no cause for eviction
- Tenants or landlords could request assistance from rental housing mediation board
- The ability for the renter to provide written notice to landlord via text
In addition, City Council directed staff to create a bilingual renter helpline for those in financial trouble. The aim of the hotline is to help under water renters navigate their rights under the emergency ordinance.
For more information on the specific requirements of the TEMO ordinance please go to the City Attorney’s Rental Housing Information website located at: https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/attorney/rental_housing_information.asp.
If you have further questions or would like to report a violation of the TEMO ordinance (English or Spanish) please send an email toTEMO@santabarbaraca.gov or call (805) 564-5330.
La Alcaldesa y el Concejo Municipal de Santa Bárbara Autorizan la Extensión de las Protecciones para Inquilinos Comerciales y Residenciales
El Concejo Municipal de la Ciudad ha ordenado a su personal la creación de un servicio de asistencia telefónica bilingüe para inquilinos con retos financieros
Video Espanol: https://youtu.be/rIxY0mn7oSo
El martes 12 de mayo de 2020, el Concejo Municipal de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara emitió una ordenanza para extender la protección a los inquilinos comerciales y residenciales de desalojos por falta de pago de alquiler debido a la emergencia COVID-19.
La Ordenanza de Moratoria Temporal de Desalojo (TEMO, por sus siglas en inglés) permite a un inquilino retrasar el pago total o parcial de su alquiler enviando una notificación por escrito al propietario o representante de la propiedad dentro de los 20 días posteriores a la fecha de vencimiento del alquiler.
La notificación por escrito de los inquilinos residenciales debe describir un cambio negativo significativo en la condición financiera del hogar que hace que el inquilino no pueda pagar la totalidad o parte de su alquiler. Para los inquilinos comerciales, la notificación debe describir las condiciones comerciales de emergencia imprevisibles que hacen que el inquilino no pueda pagar todo o parte de su alquiler.
TEMO es efectivo hasta el vencimiento de la Orden Ejecutiva N-28-20 el 31 de mayo de 2020, a menos que el gobernador extienda el efecto de esa orden o esta ordenanza se extienda por acción del Concejo Municipal.
En la reunión del martes, el Concejo Municipal ordenó al Abogado de la Ciudad que prepare un borrador de modificaciones a la ordenanza que incluya lo siguiente:
- Instituir un período de pagos atrasados a plazos de 12 meses que podría negociarse por un período de tiempo más corto.
- Los pagos atrasados se realizarán en 12 cuotas mensuales iguales y sin intereses.
- Mientras los nuevos pagos se realicen a tiempo, no habrá motivo de desalojo.
- Los inquilinos o propietarios pueden solicitar asistencia de la mesa directiva de mediación de viviendas de alquiler.
- La posibilidad del inquilino de proporcionar un aviso por escrito al arrendador por mensaje de texto.
Además, el Concejo Municipal ordenó la creación de un servicio de asistencia telefónica bilingüe para inquilinos con problemas financieros. El objetivo de la línea de apoyo es asistir a los inquilinos que están en situación crítica a navegar sus derechos bajo la ordenanza de emergencia.
Para obtener más información sobre los requisitos específicos de la ordenanza TEMO, visite el sitio web de Información sobre Viviendas de Alquiler del Abogado de la Ciudad ubicado en: https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/attorney/rental_housing_information.asp.
Si tiene más preguntas o desea informar una violación de la ordenanza TEMO (en inglés o español), envíe un correo electrónico aTEMO@santabarbaraca.gov o llame al (805) 564-5330.
So what happens when the landlord can’t pay the mortgage and the property goes in to foreclosure? Do the tenants get to squat forever?
If that’s the case then I am going to sell my house and move in somewhere and live for free for a couple of years, what a great deal!
These are exceptional circumstances, but I don’t think it is right to take away a landlord’s right to collect rent without compensation. I would certainly encourage landlords to work with tenants, but the city getting involved is another matter entirely. If the city takes away a landlord’s ability to collect rent, then the city is on the hook to pay for it. I don’t think the city can afford it, especially since it has chosen to destroy a significant portion of its revenue in response to the virus.
I sublease a room to someone that got laid off and they told me early on that they had money saved for 3 months rent and they also got the stimulus payment as well as the extra $600 a week right now in their unemployment and they are fine financially. I made it clear that I expect them to pay rent, period. If they aren’t returned to work in July when the unemployment goes down I expect that he still has 3 months worth of rent in his savings and that he will go get another job so he can pay his rent. Right now he has ZERO incentive tho because he is making more than he did working. Which is fine because his rent is being paid. People need to live within their means OR find a job, or jobs that will allow them to pay for their means. I’m still working, and grateful for my job, but there are no free rides around here.
Can the city even do this? Eviction laws I thought were primarily state based passed by a state legislature. How can they override that? I would challenge this in court if I was an LL to at least get an answer and/or seek counsel from an atty that specializes in landlord tenant law. Seriously. Some of these people are making more with the added $600/week that they made while working. While some are legitimately in a bad position as their rent may have been geared to what they could afford when full time and now unemployment is not enough, I see alot of room for abuse here. BTW I do not think an LL can limit showers to 30 minutes.
Not true. I have lived places were things like electricity, water, even gas were covered and I am very cognizant to not waste as I know it’s still being paid by the LL and I don’t want to get dinged from overuse. What a generalization to make as if there are no conscientious renters out there. Maybe you pick bad renters? If you are having such issues, and most ppl I know are conscientious even if utilities are covered, maybe you should just have them pay a portion every month.
There are some DIRTY landlords out there, case in point: MINE. After living and renting a room since December 2018 LL decided they wanted me out. What’s she do? Creates a proxy war with her parents who drove 450 miles from Auburn, CA when they knew I was out of the home on business. What ensued? Demands that I leave although there is a Tenant Agreement in place. They had no interest in allowing me a 30 to vacate or issuing a 60 on their end-why go the legal route? They deny the tenant agreements existence and pepper me extensively the last few weeks. And, when I am gone again on business for four days, I return at 7am yesterday. Minutes later, the SBPD arrive with a Domestic Violence TRO and tell I need to move out and can only grab ‘essential’ items. And to top it off, i’ve been reporting all the harassment, intimidation and stalking and in short, money talks.
@570. Just reading your posts makes me wonder if i’ve rented from you. you’re an unreasonable creep. get over your petty woes and faux money issues. you bought land. you own it. you can right off losses yearly. i know this for a fact. my family has rental property. you’re just a fired up heartless scrooge.