An ordinance was preliminarily approved in Santa Cruz County yesterday that would require owners of rental properties to register their units and eventually submit them in for inspection. Council members passed the rental inspection ordinance in time to meet a deadline outlined in the city’s agreement with U.C. Santa Cruz in an effort to control student growth. The measure is expected to target thousands of suspected illegal units and negligent landlords, along with addressing health and safety hazards posed by overcrowding, illegal construction and poor maintenance. A final reading of the ordinance is scheduled for a later date.
