As the California wildfires continue, many people have lost their homes or are unable to get back into their neighborhoods. Now, it's becoming more expensive to find a place to stay.
Many people are understandably upset that the fires' victims are being exploited at such a tumultuous time.
According to Yahoo News' Andrew Romano, despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom's emergency declaration prohibiting landlords from raising rent by more than 10%, "at least 400 rental properties" have done so anyway.
Attorney General Rob Bonta warned at a press conference: "It's called price gouging. It is illegal. You cannot do it. It is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and fines."
Those landlords ignored the warnings and chose to make a profit from the victims instead.
A Los Angeles Tenants Union housing advocate, Chelsea Kirk, created a crowdsourced spreadsheet that tracks price gouging with pre-and-post price dates, Zillow links, and addresses. Luckily, some of the 400 rental prices have come down, but some are now off the market.
Price gouges are affecting both upmarket and regular homes. For example, according to Yahoo News, a "9,615-square-foot Tudor mansion in Bel Air" was listed for "$29,500 a month" in December and "$39,000 a month" last week. A Woodland Hills "1,200-square-foot two-bedroom" went from $3,900 in November to $5,900.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on Sunday that it would use the non-emergency service to report price gouging. Residents can call 311 or 213-473-3231 or visit the MyLA 311 website.
Unfortunately, price gouging after natural disasters is nothing new. Business Insider reported price gouging complaints after Hurricane Helene in several states. The gouging was not limited to hotels and included other essentials such as gas, generators, eggs, and ice.
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Definitely 🙁 California was already facing a housing shortage before the fires. If people are forced to move away from the Los Angeles area, they will rely more on cars to commute to work. According to the Montana Environmental Information Center, providing homes closer to people's work is vital to decreasing car tailpipe pollution.
Unfortunately, many landlords make it difficult for tenants to follow eco-friendly practices. Many homeowners associations prevent renters and homeowners from making sustainable upgrades that save them money and help the environment.
Currently, landlords appear to want to take advantage of the situation. One X (formerly Twitter) user shared that an agent purposely relisted a home after the wildfires. The agent told their client, "People are desperate. You can probably get good money."
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