Tenants and Landlords at 215 Bath Street Remain in Conflict

A legal dispute between tenants and owners of a Santa Barbara apartment complex is ongoing.

“We have not yet reached a conclusion, we are not yet settled,” tenant Corina Svacina said on Wednesday.

Svacina has lived in Building A at 215 Bath Street for seven years. In January of this year, she and other tenants were served with eviction notices due to upcoming renovation projects at the property. Since then, property manager Jeff Knapp has been sued by the city of Santa Barbara.

“My clients want to update the electrical, the plumbing, avoid a lot of problems in the future and avoid having any safety issues or concerns with the property that they could be responsible for if there are any,” said Lacy Taylor, an attorney representing the owners.

Svacina says most of the tenants have moved out, but four remain in Building A. They were offered new leases with an 8.8 percent price increase for the new units in Building B, which Svacina says are not comparable.

“It’s also a downstairs apartment. I live upstairs in a secure building where there’s a lock. You can’t get into the building without it. They also want us to start paying utilities. I don’t pay utilities right now. They’re included in my rent,” Svacina said.

“We’re not trying to give them the exact same housing. We’re trying to avoid them having to move and pay higher rents elsewhere. We’re trying to accommodate them, even though we believe we have the right to terminate their lease and not give them more than the two months of relocation required in Santa Barbara,” Taylor said.

She says the compensation being offered to tenants for moving out is in the tens of thousands of dollars. New leases for Building B will begin in October, or as soon as renovations to that building are completed.

“These will be fully finished units, with new appliances, new flooring, new walls, new everything,” Taylor said.

Owner Jeff Knapp declined to comment for this article.