Tropicana Villas is about 3 blocks to the UCSB campus.

Isla Vista is a lively student community located adjacent to the University of California Santa Barbara. At Tropicana Villas, you are located far enough away from the noisiest areas of Isla Vista in a quiet environment; yet you are still close enough to join the fun anytime you wish. We’re a short bike ride to nearby shops, restaurants, ATMs and a leisurely 10-minute walk to the beach.

UCSB student status is required unless you receive written permission from the Executive Director, Joe Hill (jhill@tropicanastudentliving.com).

As a Tropicana Villas resident, you are welcome to use the resort-style amenities at nearby Tropicana Gardens and Tropicana Del Norte. Use your key card to access Tropicana Del Norte amenities such as the Rec Room, 24-Hour Study Lounge and Fitness Center. To reserve the private movie theater for a few hours, simply call the front desk at (805) 968-4319.

To use the cardio room at Tropicana Gardens, check in at the front desk and swap your Villas apartment key card for a Cardio Room key. Be sure to return it to retrieve your apartment key. The study lounge at Tropicana Gardens is open 24 hours. The back tunnel doors in the parking lot close and lock at 8:00 PM, so you can access the study lounge through the main office front door on El Colegio.

To have a meal at the Trop Café at Gardens or Del Norte, just stop at either front desk to purchase a single meal or a meal punch card. If you have purchased the unlimited academic year meal plan, you’ll only need to check in with your designated bar code from your MyTropAccount.

The laundry room is located at the end of the hallway beside the pool. Our laundry machines are card-operated only. You will receive a complimentary laundry card upon move-in and can add value to it at any time with a credit or debit card at the WASH card machine in the laundry room. To wash one load of laundry will cost $2.00 and to dry one load is $1.50. You may log onto the laundry website at www.laundryalert.com to see if a machine is available; you may also request a text message or e-mail to signal your load is complete.

DESK SERVICES

The Tropicana Gardens front desk serves Tropicana Villas. Here you can make your rent payment, place a maintenance request, buy stamps, and pick up packages that don’t fit in your mailbox or get help with any question you may have.

Tropicana Gardens Front Desk Hours (Academic Year)
Monday- Saturday 8 am – 8 pm
Sunday 10 am – 8 pm

Hours may vary due to holidays or academic breaks. 

Business Office Hours:
9 am – 5 pm
Office Closed: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Please call the VP on Duty if you need assistance on these days: (805) 722-8019. Someone is always available to assist you!

Front Desk Address
6585 El Colegio Road, Goleta, CA 93117

Tropicana Villas mailboxes are located in the hallway immediately within the Camino Pescadero main entrance. Your mailbox number is the same as your apartment number. Please use your apartment number when using your mailing address in the following manner:

(Your Name)
811 Camino Pescadero
APT # (Your Apartment Number)
Goleta, CA 93117

There is an outgoing mail box next to the Mailboxes in the Hallway of the Villas Front Entrance. Mail is picked up and dropped off at approximately 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday. Please be patient with our staff while they are processing your mail. We will sort the mail and place it into the proper mailbox for each of our residents.

Packages and signed deliveries are delivered to the front desk at Tropicana Gardens. Emails are sent to residents as packages are received and processed at the Gardens front desk. Residents may pick up deliveries from the Tropicana Gardens front desk during office hours (For your security, packages cannot be issued to anyone other than the addressee.)

There are 48 apartments at Tropicana Villas, and roughly 150-180 residents. Each 2 bedroom/2 bath fully-furnished apartment has a full kitchen and accommodates 4-6 people, depending on the option that you choose. You may sign an individual (By The Bed) lease or rent an entire apartment with our Joint & Several option.

There is a refundable security deposit due with lease submittal.

Rent installment payments are due on the 1st of every month. Please refer to your contract under MyTropAccount. A late fee will be assessed if payment is not received by the third day of the month in which it is due.

You or your guarantor may pay your rent by logging onto your MyTropAccount. ACH (e-checks) are the primary payment option on MyTropAccount.com. Just like a traditional check, you provide your bank routing and checking account number, via our secure server, and the payment is sent electronically through the ACH system for immediate transfer. You’ll be able to instantly see your payment applied to your MyTropAccount.

We also accept credit cards through our third-party provider, Paylease. Note that Paylease does charge a credit card convenience fee. There is no fee to pay by credit card in person, because this is a more secure transaction. Just come to the Front Desk so we can swipe your card.

You may also mail your payment; be sure to include the residents name(s) and apartment number in the Memo area. Make your check out to Tropicana Villas and send your payment to: Tropicana Student Living, ATTN: Rent Payments; 6585 El Colegio Road, Goleta, CA 93117.

You can cash your Financial Aid check and use this however you choose. We offer a financial aid payment plan that coincides with financial aid disbursements. 

Please see our calendar under Important Dates.

Earlier move-in may be possible for a daily fee, depending on the availability of your apartment. Please e-mail our leasing department at leasing@tropicanastudentliving.com to make early move-in.

We do not insure your personal property or promote any particular insurance agency. However we strongly recommend that you have renters insurance on personal items such as musical instruments, computers, televisions, other electronics, etc. Homeowners insurance often covers property outside of the home, which means that your parents homeowners insurance may cover you Please ask your parents to check your homeowners policy. If not, check local listings to find an insurance agency that will offer renter’s insurance as well as damages such as flooding or smoke damage.

Yes. Residents must be a UCSB student and must either be 20 years old by the contract start date (proof of age required), or have completed 12 college units (Advanced Placement units accepted, transcripts will be required).

UCSB student status is required unless you receive written permission from the Executive Director, Joe Hill (jhill@tropicanastudentliving.com).

All applicants require a guarantor over the age of 25.

For current residents, please consult the Contract Termination section of your contract on your MyTropAccount. 

Tropicana Student Living has a cancellation policy as follows:

1. 1. Cancellation within the first 72 hours of signing of the contract = $0 cancellation fee.
   2. Cancellation received through June 30 = $500.00 fee
   3. Cancellation received July 1 – July 31 = $1,500.00 fee.
   4. Cancellation received August 1 through day before contract start date = $2,500.00
   5. Cancellations are not allowed after the contract start date (Resident must find an acceptable replacement student to take over the contract and subsequent payments)

BEFORE THINKING OF CANCELLING – HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE FOLLOWING:

1. Try resolving any issues you may have with roommates that may be potentially causing conflict?
2. Have you tried including a Resident Assistant or another Tropicana Staff member to help resolve any potential conflicts?
3. Have you considered requesting a room change (Note: there is a $200 room move fee)?
4. Have you considered placing an ad on Craigslist, UCSB’s Housing Site, to see if someone would be willing to take over your contract?

Notes about the Cancellation Policy:

1. Student/Guarantor has the right to find an acceptable replacement that Tropicana Student Living agrees is a suitable replacement (must meet the same admissions criteria required for all residents) to avoid paying a cancellation fee.  A $500.00 Administrative Fee will be assessed for lease replacements.
2. You will continue to be responsible for your contract until a confirmed replacement is found.  The replacement will be charged beginning the day they sign their contract through the end date of the contract.  Similarly, you will be charged from your contract start date through the start date of the replacement contract.  Any financial incentive arrangement between you and the replacement will be handled between the two of you.  Your account will include charges for the pro-rated occupancy and the $500 lease takeover fee.  The replacement account will be billed for the pro-rated period beginning with their contract start date and concluding at the end (or later) of the originally signed contract.  All payments due on the account must be received and verified before the replacement is approved.  
3. Your Tropicana Student Organization Fee will be forfeited.
4. Your security deposit will be returned less the $50.00 cleaning fee and any other damage charges and outstanding balances. (The $50.00 cleaning fee includes steam cleaning of the carpet and normal cleaning, but does not include removal of items, etc.)

Note: 
If you are a member of the United States Armed Forces on active duty and receive change-of-station orders to permanently leave the local area; are returned to active military duty; or are a national guard or reservist called to active duty, then you may terminate the Contract by giving written notice to us from the US Government.

You are welcome to bring your pet fish, with a tank up to 10 gallons.

Tropicana supports the student conduct policies of UCSB and SBCC and we enforce local and state drinking laws.

• Possession of illegal drugs is prohibited. We do not honor Medicinal Marijuana Cards.
• By state law, residents under 21 years of age may not consume alcohol.
• Residents over 21 years of age may consume alcohol in their apartment or room, but not in the presence of minors or in public areas.

If you have any questions about these or any other policies please contact Erika Bellitt, our Director of Residence Life. Please see our Student Handbook.

Tropicana Villas apartment doors automatically lock when closed, and use magnetic strip Saflok key card locks. Please do not lose your Saflok key card or loan it to a friend. If you lose your Saflok key card, it becomes a safety issue for you and your apartment mates. Please inform us as soon as possible about lost key cards. We will cancel your old card, and provide a new card for you. Apartments are equipped with bedroom door locks, for which you are issued a key upon check-in. You also receive a key for your mailbox. There is a replacement charge for any lost or broken key.

If you have locked yourself out of your apartment, a temporary key card will be created at the front desk for your use. This temporary lock-out key card must be returned to the front desk within 15 minutes. If you lock yourself out of your room when the office is not open, please contact the VP On Duty for Tropicana Villas by calling (805) 722-8019. There is a charge for each lock out beginning with the 4th lockout per quarter/semester. If the temporary key card is not returned, you will be charged a replacement key card fee.

We encourage all residents to take responsibility for personal safety. For example, use a buddy or escort system for safe travel at night, whether out jogging, walking to and from campus, or going to Isla Vista for a late night snack.

Since we are not located on University property, the Sheriff’s Department or the Isla Vista Foot Patrol will respond for law enforcement duties in and around Tropicana properties. We may also utilize some of the UCSB campus service organizations such as the Crime Prevention Program and Community Relations Programs as well as the Community Service Organization. For an emergency, call 911 immediately.

The Community Service Organization (CSO) consists of a group of 55 students who work with the Police Department in serving the campus community. The CSO officers can be identified by their blue shirts with yellow writing and the radios, which keep them in direct contact with the police. The CSO offers an escort service both on the UCSB campus and in Isla Vista. To request an escort, pick up any red emergency phone on the UCSB campus or call 805-893-2000.

Fire and Safety Instructions

You can bring a car or bike; we offer paid parking at Tropicana Villas and at our nearby residence halls Tropicana Del Norte and Tropicana Gardens. USCB is only 3 blocks away and easily accessible by foot or bike.

If you are interested in purchasing a parking space, please complete a Parking Application form, available on the Villas Pricing Page. We will give you a parking permit sticker for your vehicle. Please know that the parking permits are non-refundable.

We have a few designated Tropicana Guest parking spaces in the gravel lot on the corner of El Colegio Road and Embarcadero del Mar. Guest Parking Permits are available for purchase at the Tropicana Gardens or Tropicana Del Norte front desks. Please do not allow your guest to park in your assigned spot; because they do not have a permit, they are at risk of being towed.

If you own a bicycle, be sure to come to a Tropicana front desk and fill out a registration form. Place the registration sticker on a clean, dry spot on the bike frame. If you are a UCSB student you also need to register it with the Community Service Organization (CSO). CSO’s will be available to register bikes during Registration Week on the UCSB campus. To further protect your bicycle from theft, get a reliable lock and always attach your bike securely to a bicycle rack. If your bike is not securely locked to a bike rack in a designated area, your bike may be impounded. For safety reasons, when riding your bicycle outside of Trop, travel at a reasonable speed, use a bicycle light at night and wear a helmet. Bicycles should be walked inside Tropicana properties. Be sure to park your bicycle in a designated bike rack and lock it securely.

Cars will be towed that do not have the correct permit or any permit visibly displayed in the designated location (bottom, right outside rear windshield) or are not parked in their designated spot. Thomas Towing Company patrols the parking lot, (805) 964-0989.

You are responsible for the day-to-day care of your apartment (changing light bulbs, plunging your toilet, etc.). However, Villas staff will take care of any maintenance problems you may have, from a broken pipe to a malfunctioning refrigerator. Any repairs caused by negligence will be charged to you (if you break a window, for instance). Just put in a maintenance request at the Tropicana front desk. You are welcome to use another service vendor for any repairs, as long as they are completed to Tropicana standards.

Emergencies

Please call the after hours Res Life duty number at (805) 722-8019 or the Tropicana front desk immediately if you have one of the following emergencies:

• Water is leaking onto your floor from broken pipes or blocked drains.
• Water is entering through the roof or windows.
• Anything that will cause damage to the property if not immediately attended to.

How to Submit a Request for a Maintenance Assessment
All maintenance related problems can be addressed by submitting a maintenance request to a Customer Service Representative at the Tropicana Front Desk. You can reach a CSR by calling 805-968-4319. Please be specific and detailed in the information that you provide to us to help the maintenance staff address your issue. If you have a maintenance emergency after office hours, please call the VP on duty by calling (805) 722-8019.

There is a $35 charge for a Maintenance assessment. The fee is charged to the resident reporting the issue. Many issues can be fixed for this fee. For more extensive repairs, additional charges may be incurred.

We will gladly and promptly fix the following items free of charge:

• Water shut-off for leaks
• Smoke Detectors / Fire alarms (as well as other Emergency Equipment).
• Turn on heater / gas stove pilot light
• Reset electrical breaker
• Electrical / wiring problems
• WiFi outages

The Villas’ plumbing system is equipped to handle water, toilet paper, and human waste. To help you keep your new home free of plumbing problems, here are some helpful tips:

• Avoid pouring oil, coffee grounds or other solids into the kitchen sink.
• Avoid putting garbage, food, dirt, potting soil, and feminine hygiene products down your sink, shower, or toilet.
• Keep the shower curtain inside the tub to avoid water leaking on to the floor.
• Remove hair from the sink and tub promptly so it will not build up and slow the drain. (Sink and toilet clogs can usually be unstopped with the bathroom plunger provided by Tropicana).