Rental Housing Mediation Program

1. Provide information on the California Rules and Regulations pertaining to Landlord/Tenant rights and responsibilities to parties in a residential rental housing situation.
2. Offer mediation services to Landlords, Tenants, Roommates and Neighbors regarding disputes pertaining to residential rental housing.
3. Prevention of Homelessness, by settling rental housing disputes out of court through the provision of Dispute Resolution Services.

The City of Santa Barbara through the Community Development Department Administration, Housing and Human Services Division operates the Rental Housing Mediation Program (RHMP). The purpose of the program is to resolve rental housing disputes by offering mediation services, and information on residential Landlord - Tenant rights and responsibilities. The RHMP services are provided to residents within the city limits of the following jurisdictions only: City of Santa Barbara, City of Goleta and City of Carpinteria.

• Mediations
• Information on Landlord/Tenant rights and responsibilities
• Staff consultations
• Referrals to social service agencies
• Outreach and education

Disputes are mediated between any combination of parties:

• Landlord-Tenant
• Roommate-Roommate
• Property Manager-Tenant
• Sublessor-Sublessee

Clients include, Spanish-speaking residents, seniors, disabled persons, single parents, students etc.

The RHMP services are delivered in the following manner:

1. Mediations, by telephone, with consenting parties to resolve rental housing disputes, conducted by staff
2. Mediations, Face-to-Face (in-person) or Virtual (via zoom) with consenting parties to resolve rental housing disputes, conducted by two appointed City Council Board Mediator Members and staff;
3. Dissemination of information and printed materials relating to rental housing disputes and mediation via staff consultations;
4. Referrals to Social Service Agencies. Collaborative interaction with social service agencies for the prevention of homelessness;
5. Public speaking, outreach and education on mediation as an alternative to costly legal resolutions to rental housing disputes.

Rental Housing Mediation Program of the City of Santa Barbara is now operating a dedicated track to address all matters related to the Temporary Rent Increase Moratorium, which took effect on February 26, 2026, and remains in place through December 31, 2026. All calls and cases related to the Moratorium are being managed separately from our mediation services. These matters require compliance review and potential enforcement, making mediation not the appropriate forum. 

Our core mission within the Rental Housing Mediation Program is to facilitate fair, balanced, and stable housing relationships across our community. Because of this expertise, in this regard, the City Administration has determined that our staff is uniquely qualified to manage this critical initiative, however the response to inquiries relating to the Rental Increase Moratorium will include the following: investigations of all alleged violations, making non-compliance determinations, issuing Notice of Violation/Warning Notices, issuing administrative citations, and initiating referrals to the City Attorney's Office when appropriate.

In the future, in the event that a Rent Stabilization Ordinance is in place, the Housing and Homeless Services department will expand to ensure it can fully fulfill the duties associated with managing and implementing the ordinance, while also maintaining sufficient resources to preserve the integrity of our mediation services.