Rent costs rise in Santa Maria

The average rent in Santa Maria is roughly $100 more in 2018 than it was last year, according to a report by Rentcafe.com. Now some Santa Maria residents are struggling to keep up with the rent hikes.

For Teresa Ramos, her 3-bedroom house is not worth the $1,300 she’s paying -especially because she says she’s had to put up with bad leaks, chipped paint, and some mold.

“The rent is too high,” she said. “And these houses are not in the best conditions and yet the cost is pricey. My husband’s the only breadwinner, but everywhere we go it’s like this.”

At her last place, Teresa was paying $1,200. She said that house was roach-infested and badly maintained – so her current house is an upgrade.

But she isn’t the only one in Santa Maria struggling to pay rent.

One Facebook user says her rent has been steadily increasing every six months, while others have shared similar experiences.

So what can you expect to pay to live in Santa Maria?

“For a 3-bedroom home it could be anywhere -depending on the area- between $1,700 up to $2,300,” said Tami Skropits with Advantage Property Management. “[For] a one bedroom: $1,000 to $1,200.”

Community organizers say it may not seem like much compared to rent costs in bigger cities like San Francisco. However, when you take into account the median income for both cities -San Francisco’s being higher -it does say something about the cost of living in Santa Maria.

“Sixty-one percent of households here in Santa Maria are rent burdened,” explained Joanna Barrera of CAUSE. “Versus thirty-eight percent in San Francisco. Which means a lot of people’s income is going into rent.”

However, new rent control laws may be on the way in California if an initiative lands on the November ballot. The initiative hopes to repeal the Costa-Hawkings rental housing act, which currently bars cities from capping rent on buildings constructed after 1995.