An organization representing Santa Barbara rental housing owners is suing the city over a recently enacted temporary freeze on rent increases.
The Santa Barbara City Council narrowly approved the controversial freeze on a 4-3 vote in January. It went into effect on February 26 and will run through the end of the year. The idea is to provide some relief to financially struggling renters.
But the Santa Barbara Rental Property Association calls the freeze illegal and is seeking to invalidate it in court.
The Association contends it violates property rights and deprives landlords of a fair market return on their investments. They say property owners are struggling to deal with rising tax, insurance, and maintenance costs.
