Serving All of Santa Barbara
Utopia Management provides comprehensive property management services for rental investment properties across Santa Barbara and throughout the West Coast. Our rental management services are more affordable, efficient, and economical for investors and owners alike. In our 25 years in real estate management, we’ve developed savvy and streamlined methods, organizational tools, and technology.
Our licensed and local property managers have insight into the local real estate market. Whether you own a large portfolio of hundreds of rental units or a single condo, our team has the know-how and experience to handle all aspects of rental property management. Services include marketing and tenant placement, tenant screening, rent collection, lease execution, evictions, full accounting, and maintenance and repairs. Our clients enjoy headache free rental property investments with maximum returns.
What is a reserve? How is it funded and what is it used for?
Your account reserve is an amount of money that is held in Utopia Management’s trust account for issues that might arise on your property. The reserve account is typically funded by the initial payments made by the tenant. The reserve is kept so that owners don’t have to send emergency money to fund repairs or other issues on their property.
How do you determine what my property should rent for?
Utopia has a business development manager that will come out to your property to evaluate how much your property should rent for and what needs to be done to get the desired rent at no cost to you.
I am interested in selling my house. Can Utopia Management help me with the sale?
Utopia Management is a full service Real Estate company and can help with the valuation, sale and refinance of your property as well as property management.
Can you help refinance my property?
Utopia Lending, our affiliate company, is a full service mortgage brokerage and can help you with financing or refinancing your property in California.
Property Management Office Serving Santa Barbara, CA
Lower Vacancy Rates
Known as the market leader in Santa Barbara, many potential renters begin their property search with Utopia Management. We make use of this large Utopia Referral base to expose your property to even more prospects than traditional marketing efforts. We also build attractive listings on the most trafficked rental search sites (including utopiamanagement.com), and utilize professional signage at the property to increase visibility and awareness for your rental. Effective marketing techniques and our strong presence in the market allow is to quickly fill properties with reliable tenants at the most advantageous rental rates.
- Advertising on most popular rental websites
- Quality listings including photos and video
- Showings 7 days a week by appointment
- Utopia referral base increases visibility beyond competition
Experienced in Apartment Property Management
Our team has provided lucrative and stress-free apartment management for clients since 1994. No matter how many units, our methods can be tailored to the unique and specific needs of each apartment complex. We offer tenant screening, regular and emergency maintenance, rent-ready repairs and renovations, security deposit and rent collection with online payment options, comprehensive accounting reports, and tenant retention programs. We employ a variety of methods proven to increase tenant satisfaction and retention while limiting loss and liability for owners.
- Online rent collection and direct deposit
- Extensive experience across a wide spectrum of multi-family properties
- High visibility marketing and promotion of your property
- Tenant retention strategies
- Responsive communication with calls and emails answered swiftly
- 24-7 emergency response
- Full monthly accounting and financial tracking via online portal
Commercial Property Experts
Utopia Management’s staff of managers for commercial properties is practiced in approaching all property-related issues with a business mindset, and developing innovative solutions to protect our clients and improve tenant satisfaction. Our services are comprehensive and include building maintenance, administration of leases customized for your needs, regular and move-in/move-out inspections, collections and evictions when needed, and monthly financial statements. We base our services and our fees on the individual complexities of your rental properties, allowing us to provide the most effective methods at extremely competitive rates.
Monthly Financial Accounting Statements
Vendor Management & Contract Administration
CAM & Operating Expense Reconciliation
Customized Asset Management Strategies
REO Management and Disposition
Residential Property Management
Our portfolio of single-family homes and condos throughout Santa Barbara includes properties of all sizes and price ranges. We charge a competitive management fee for residential rentals which includes all setup and leasing services, with no additional hidden fees like some competitors. The comprehensive line of services we offer include rental property marketing, screening applicants, maintenance and repairs, and rent collection with online payment options. We aim to create and grow the financial success of your property while freeing you from the daily administration tasks.
Less Delinquency and Reduced Evictions
We understand how crucial placement of the right tenant is to the success of your rental investment, and as such we use an exhaustive screening process designed to eliminate unwanted liabilities. We validate identity through verification of social security cards, licenses, and pay stubs. We check employment, industry-specific credit reports with past eviction records, and contact past landlords to obtain renter references. Through selection of the best tenants, we maintain not only a low delinquency rate, but also an exceptionally low eviction rate of less than 1%.
Complete tenant screening services including background, credit, and rental history checks.
Exceptional protection for owners, including the optional “Utopia Eviction Protection Program.”
Flexible Maintenance Options
When maintenance or repair needs arise, a fast and affordable solution facilitates tenant satisfaction as well as success of your rental. Utopia Management’s relationships with local contractors has given us the ability to create a list of preferred and reliable vendors, some of whom we have worked with for over 15 years. Our preferred vendors often provide us with lower-than-market rates. We employ in house maintenance staff as well, through general contractor’s license #792427, leading to fast repair response times and low cost repairs.
- Maintenance & Rent Ready Repairs
- Technicians on Staff or Preferred Vendors
- 24 Hour Emergency Maintenance
- Move-in and Move-out Inspections
- Licensed and Insured Vendors
Accounting Details at Your Fingertips 24-Hours a Day
Detailed statements outlining all financial records are confidentially posted through your owner web portal, and available at your convenience. We record all transactions including deposit and rent collection, copies of invoices and bills received, and receipts for payments made on your behalf. To aid in easy and accurate tax filing, December statements also include annual figures. Our accounting professionals are only a call away and happy to assist with any questions or concerns about your property’s accounting or monthly statements.
Collection of deposits and monthly rent.
Settle bills and invoices on your behalf.
Review cost-incurring maintenance and repair requests prior to making repairs.
Detailed monthly statements
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a reserve? How is it funded and what is it used for?
Your account reserve is an amount of money that is held in Utopia Management’s trust account for issues that might arise on your property. The reserve account is typically funded by the initial payments made by the tenant. The reserve is kept so that owners don’t have to send emergency money to fund repairs or other issues on their property.
How do you determine what my property should rent for?
Utopia has a business development manager that will come out to your property to evaluate how much your property should rent for and what needs to be done to get the desired rent at no cost to you.
I am interested in selling my house. Can Utopia Management help me with the sale?
Utopia Management is a full service Real Estate company and can help with the valuation, sale and refinance of your property as well as property management.
Can you help refinance my property?
Utopia Lending, our affiliate company, is a full service mortgage brokerage and can help you with financing or refinancing your property in California.
Santa Barbara Highlights
90 Thousand
(Population 2007)
59
Percentage of Renters
$2100
1 Bed
$2450
2 Beds
$3300
3 Beds
Median Rent (2019)
The vacancy rate is only about 1%.
Median home value is $1,161,300
Santa Barbara, known as the “American Riveria”, is home to a fair share of sunny weather, beautiful coastlines, and, many Victorian-style homes. It has a long history dating back more than 12,000 years, when it was home to over 10,000 Chumash Native Americans. Like many Californian cities, Santa Barbara lies in a high seismic zone containing multiple fault lines, leading to frequent and sometimes devastating earthquakes.
Demographics: 77.53% White, 12.58% other races, 3.91% Asian, 3.69% 2 or more races, 1.36% African American, 0.73% Native American, and 9.19% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The mean household income is $101,590, with an average of 2.49 people per household.
The city is also named “Hollywood of the North,” due to its large movie production presence. In the early 1900’s, hundreds of silent films and westerns were filmed in the city, such as DeMille’s The Ten Commandments in 1923. Flying A Studios was once the world’s largest movie studio, and occupied two blocks of the Santa Barbara streets from 1910 to 1922. During this time, about 1200 films were produced in the city by Flying A and other local studios.
Two bedroom unit prices have increased by 43.3% in the past year. The 1-year appreciation rate for housing is 8.1%.
The Rental Housing Mediation Program offered by the city of Santa Barbara provides mediation resources to settle rental housing disputes.
The city offers a legal database of landlord and tenant rights in California.
Santa Barbara, CA
Located in Santa Barbara County, the city of Santa Barbara is situated on the longest section of south-facing coastline in the US, sandwiched between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Santa Barbara is a popular tourist and resort destination, as well as home to many A-list celebrities. The hospitality industry is a significant part of the region’s economy, with around 35% of local employees working in the service sector. The University of California, Santa Barbara is the county’s largest employer, with over 4,300 and 4.8% of the total employment.
The Santa Barbara Certified Farmers’ Market Association was established in 1983. The non-profit organization was created to assist California farmers by giving the community direct access to locally grown produce. The original farmers’ market was held in 1979, and was among the first in the state. Today, the Association includes over 130 members working to provide fresh produce to the public.
Santa Barbara’s southern-facing coastline and offshore Channel Islands provide uniquely fantastic opportunities for whale-watching. From February to early April, and again from May to September, residents and visitors can catch sights of a variety of species of whale. The Santa Barbara Channel is home to over 27 types of whales and dolphins, along with porpoises, seals, and sea lions.
The median home value in Santa Barbara is just over $1 million. Zillow reports that over the last year, home values have only increased 0.6%; however, also predicts that they will rise 4% over the next year. The median rent in Santa Barbara is $4,000.
Santa Barbara’s most expensive neighborhood is Montecito, where the median home is valued over $4.2 million, and the median rent over $9,800.
Santa Barbara
Few cities come close to the famous coastal Old World beauty of Santa Barbara. The small city, located 90 miles north of Los Angeles, is home to year-round Mediterranean climates, historic architecture, and beautiful natural landscapes. It is promoted as the “American Rivera.”
Downtown Santa Barbara – Resource Guide: https://www.downtownsb.org/resources
Santa Barbara Activities – guides and information for tours, annual events, beaches, biking trails, and more: https://www.santabarbara.com/activities/
Explore and Discover Santa Barbara: https://santabarbaraca.com/explore-and-discover-santa-barbara/
City of Santa Barbara Business Resources: https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/business/businessguide/default.asp
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