Every year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sets Fair Market Rents, which help determine rental assistance levels for households participating in federal housing programs.
But housing officials in Santa Barbara County say the federal figures do not always keep pace with local rental costs.
The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara and the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara are conducting a countywide rental survey to collect current information on what renters are paying and what property owners are charging.
“Because the Fair Market Rents here cover the entire county of Santa Barbara, from Carpinteria all the way to Santa Maria, we’re surveying countywide,” said Rob Fredericks, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara.
The survey comes as local housing officials seek more current data for Santa Barbara County's Fair Market Rents.
HUD's Fair Market Rents are used in determining payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher program. Housing officials say local rents have continued to put pressure on renters, even as federal rental benchmarks have not always reflected current market conditions.
“People are being crushed. We are living in a housing market crisis nationally, and right here it’s no different. People cannot afford rent in the South Coast and North County,” Fredericks said.
The Housing Authority has conducted local rental surveys in the past to provide updated information to HUD and seek adjustments to Santa Barbara County's Fair Market Rents.
Now, housing officials are asking renters and property owners throughout the county to provide updated information.
For renters, the survey asks what they currently pay for their unit. Property owners and managers are asked to report what they charge and to share the survey with their tenants.
For renters like Santa Barbara resident Abel Contreras, rising housing costs are already affecting household budgets.
“I’ve been living in Santa Barbara for over 50 years and it’s been really great, but these last few years, you get really upset because of the rent and the bills,” Contreras said. “They used to not increase it so much. Now the rent keeps going up.”
Contreras said the high cost of living leaves many renters with limited options.
“What can we do? Just keep working hard to pay it,” he said.
Housing officials say the survey data could give HUD a more current picture of rental costs in Santa Barbara County and support a request to reevaluate the area's Fair Market Rents.
The link can be found here, the deadline survey deadline is Nov. 29.
