Signs of rent gouging rise across region in fires' wake, bringing calls for enforcement

In the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles, the asking rent for a two-bedroom condo jumped from $5,000 to $8,000 in the wake of the fires that started last week and have left thousands homeless.

In Venice, a single-family house saw a jump of nearly 60%. In Santa Monica, an owner listed a five-bedroom house for $15,000 above what they were asking last year — a gain of more than 100%.

Temporary price-gouging protections in place because of the fires are supposed to stop such dramatic rent hikes, but a Times review of online listings this week indicate illegal increases are relatively common. Such listings, which have been denounced on social media, are starting an uproar, causing some landlords to shift course and leading to calls for authorities to prosecute those profiteering off pain.

“They need to move quickly and make an example out of these people,” said Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, a local tenant rights group.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-15/as-signs-of-rent-rouging-proliferate-amid-fires-a-call-for-enforcement