Owner FAQs

We handle every aspect of the landlord-tenant relationship on your behalf: marketing your vacancy, screening applicants, preparing and executing the lease, collecting rent, coordinating repairs and maintenance, conducting inspections, managing lease renewals, and — when necessary — handling evictions. You get a monthly owner statement, a direct deposit disbursement, and a single point of contact who knows your property and the local rules.

We provide property management services throughout Santa Barbara, including Montecito, Goleta, and Carpinteria. Our local focus allows us to understand pricing trends, tenant expectations, and regulatory requirements specific to the area.

Working with a local property manager provides advantages in pricing accuracy, faster maintenance response, and familiarity with Santa Barbara regulations. Local expertise can help reduce vacancy and avoid compliance issues that are common in California rental markets.

We start with a walkthrough of the property, review your current lease (if a tenant is in place), and execute a management agreement. We'll flag anything that needs to be addressed before we take over — deferred maintenance, missing disclosures, compliance gaps — so you're not inheriting liability from a prior arrangement. Onboarding typically takes a few business days.

Yes. We take over existing tenancies . Before we assume management, we review your current lease, confirm you're up to date on all required disclosures, and verify that your rent and deposit records are in order. If there are compliance issues we'll walk you through how to cure them.

No. Some companies offer bare-bones service at a discount. Some are designed for hands-on owners who want to stay involved. Sycamore is a full-service firm — we handle every aspect of the management cycle so you don't have to think about it. What sets us apart in this market is compliance. The South Coast has four separate jurisdictions, each with local tenant-protection rules that change frequently. Getting those wrong costs owners real money. We specialize in this market and build compliance into everything we do. When you're comparing property managers, ask them: Is your company licensed? Sycamore operates under a California DRE broker's license. What happens if I want to cancel? We use straightforward management agreements with no long-term contract -- you can cancel if you're not happy for any reason. Ask about termination terms before you sign with anyone. What "other" fees will you charge me? Many companies charge separately for eviction coordination, inspections, notice service, and HOA liaison work. We don't. Click here to see everything included in our full-service management offering.

Quite a few — which is one of the best reasons to hire a professional. The major categories are: federal and state fair housing, California's rent cap and just-cause eviction law (AB 1482), local tenant-protection ordinances in the City of Santa Barbara, City of Goleta, City of Carpinteria, and unincorporated County, security deposit rules, habitability requirements, and mandatory disclosures. We ensure your property and the management experience are fully compliant with all of them.

Yes. Any company that leases property or collects rent on behalf of owners must operate under a California Department of Real Estate (DRE) broker's license. The license requires passing a comprehensive state exam, meeting education requirements, passing a background check, and maintaining ongoing compliance with DRE regulations — including strict trust accounting rules for client funds. Most property management companies are licensed at the company level; be sure to ask whether the individual managing your property holds or works under a valid license. All Sycamore management activity is conducted under our licensed California broker.

Absolutely. Ask us when we connect and we'll put you in touch with owners in our portfolio.

Through your online owner portal, available 24/7. You can view your current rent roll, monthly statements, year-to-date summaries, maintenance work orders, and uploaded lease documents anytime, from any device.

By direct deposit (ACH) to your bank account, typically by the 10th of the month following collection. Your monthly owner statement shows all income and expenses — rent collected, maintenance invoices, our management fee, and any other disbursements — in a clear, itemized format.

Yes. We conduct a documented move-in inspection with the tenant present, an annual mid-lease inspection, and a move-out inspection. These help ensure the property is being well cared for, there are no lease violations, and to look for potential deferred maintenance issues before they become a problem.

We handle the entire rent collection process. Although it is rare - should a tenant not pay rent, we handle the entire legal eviction process on your behalf.

Yes. We will collect a $500 escrow reserve from you at the time you sign your property management agreement. This is YOUR money and it will be deposited into our bank trust account as the reserve for YOUR property. We will potentially use these funds to pay for expenses that may arise between the time we send you your rental income, and the time we collect the rent from the tenant the following month. But we will always maintain this reserve as long as we manage your property. When we stop managing your property it will be returned to you.

We hold it in a dedicated, FDIC-insured trust account in strict compliance with California Civil Code §1950.5. Security deposits are never commingled with operating funds — that's a legal requirement and a non-negotiable part of our practice.

We do. We conduct the move-out inspection, document any damage beyond normal wear and tear, obtain repair estimates, and send the tenant an itemized accounting with any remaining balance within 21 calendar days of move-out. A 2025 change to state law also requires move-in photos and written cost documentation to support any deductions; our process incorporates all of these steps.