In September 2025, the City Council adopted amendments to Goleta's Tenant Protections Ordinance. 

View the current TENANT PROTECTIONS ORDINANCE in the Goleta Municipal Code (GMC §8.19).

The City held a virtual Lunch & Learn on Tenant Protections in Goleta - watch it below and view the presentation slides here.

Resources for Landlords

• Types of Exempt Rental Units under GMC §8.19.020 
• Required lease language for housing units exempt under GMC §8.19.020(M)
• Lease Rejection Form
• Housing Displacement Informational Handout

Resources for Tenants 

• Rental Housing Mediation Program (City contract with RHMP staff for City residents) 
• Diversion Hotline flyer (English/Spanish)
• County 2-1-1 Eviction Resources (English/Spanish)

History of Tenant Protections in the City

• 2025 - City Council adopted a permanent Tenant Protections Ordinance that included:
  • An optional Early Tenant Alert Notice 60 days prior to issuance of a just-cause notice of termination,
  • A relocation assistance payment amount of $8,000 or 2 months' rent, whichever is greater,
  • A requirement to include a housing program information with a notice of termination,
  • Tenant anti-harassment provisions and legal remedies.
• 2023 - City Council adopted a Tenant Protections Urgency Ordinance more protective than state law, which went into effect immediately to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the community. The ordinance created:
  • Local just-cause requirements for termination of residential tenancy,
  • Relocation assistance equal to 2 months’ rent in cases of no-fault terminations,
  • A mandatory offer of a one-year lease, and
  • A mandatory right-of-first-refusal offer for tenants to re-rent the rental unit they vacated.
• 2019 - The California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 was enacted to limit rent increases to no more than 5% plus the local cost of living (or 10%, whichever is lower) and required landlords to have a "just cause" to evict tenants who have lived in a property for at least 12 months.