Villas 101
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.
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 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.
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.
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.)
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.
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 VP on duty 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
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.
Cars will be towed that do not have the correct permit or any permit visibly displayed in the designated location or are not parked in their designated spot. Thomas Towing Company patrols the parking lot, (805) 964-0989.
The Villa’s 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).
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.
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.
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 card. If you have purchased a meal plan, you’ll only need to check in with your designated bar code from your MyTropAccount.