{"id":2390244,"date":"2025-01-14T15:27:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T20:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rents-skyrocket-in-la-as-displaced-people-look-for-new-places-to-stay-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-14T15:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T20:28:11","slug":"rents-skyrocket-in-la-as-displaced-people-look-for-new-places-to-stay-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rents-skyrocket-in-la-as-displaced-people-look-for-new-places-to-stay-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Rents skyrocket in LA as displaced people look for new places to stay &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frents-skyrocket-in-la-as-displaced-people-look-for-new-places-to-stay-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2390244&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In Los Angeles, the rental market\u2063 is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/surge-in-producer-prices-highlights-reacceleration-in-us-inflation\/\" title=\"US inflation reaccelerates as producer prices surge.\">experiencing significant price hikes<\/a> as landlords exploit the housing crisis caused by devastating fires, a practice \u2064deemed illegal\u2063 by California law. Thousands of homes have been destroyed, forcing displaced families to seek new shelter amidst a rising demand for available rentals. Real estate websites \u2062like Zillow have reported\u200d that properties previously removed from the \u2062market during the fires are being relisted at substantially higher prices.California&#8217;s Attorney General has criticized these actions\u2062 as price gouging,\u2064 which carries legal penalties. Such \u200cas, a home that was once listed at $15,900 per month saw its price surge to \u200c$29,500, reflecting an 86% increase. Data indicate that rental prices on the Westside of Los Angeles have surged between 15% and 64% as the fires began. \u2063Governor Gavin Newsom has\u2064 declared a state of emergency that includes a ban on \u2062such price \u200bincreases.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Rents skyrocket in LA as displaced people look for new places to stay<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1931527\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Some landlords are raising their rent in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Los-Angeles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Los Angeles<\/a>, a move the state has warned is illegal, as fires devastate large swaths of the city, effectively increasing the demand in the rental market.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wildfires\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Fires<\/a> in Los Angeles have destroyed thousands of homes, leaving families scrambling for long-term shelter in the face of uncertainty. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/real-estate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Real estate<\/a> listing websites such as Zillow have shown many properties taken off the market during the fires, only to be put back on the market for thousands more than they were originally listed for.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s called price gouging,&rdquo; said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. &ldquo;It is illegal. You cannot do it. It is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and fines.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For <a href=\"https:\/\/laist.com\/news\/housing-homelessness\/los-angeles-palisades-fire-housing-rent-price-gouging-law-california-zillow-listing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">example<\/a>, one Zillow listing for a furnished home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, near the Pacific Palisades, was posted Saturday at $29,500 per month, which is nearly an 86% price hike from September 2024, according to the listing&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25485067-screenshot-2025-01-11-at-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">price history<\/a>, which shows the home previously listed for $15,900 per month.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">According to a&nbsp;<em>New York Times<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/10\/business\/california-fires-rent-price-gouging.html\" target=\"_blank\">review<\/a>&nbsp;of Zillo<\/span>w listings on Los Angeles&rsquo;s Westside, asking rents have risen between 15% and 64% since last Tuesday when the fires began.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After a reporter with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2025-01-11\/their-houses-burned-down-now-they-are-fighting-for-the-few-homes-left-on-the-market\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a>  asked why the asking rent of one Encino home had risen from $9,000 to $11,500 per month, nearly 28% since the fires began, the agent took the listing down. Listing agent Soheila Mirfakhrai said the price was then lowered to $9,800 per month, just below the 10% threshold, after speaking with the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not just large, family homes that have seen this trend. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/homedetails\/22720-Oxnard-St-2-Woodland-Hills-CA-91367\/441854582_zpid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">1,200-square-foot<\/a> two-bedroom in Woodland Hills was listed for $3,900 per month in November. After the fires, it&rsquo;s now listed for $5,900.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) declared a state of emergency in connection with the Palisades fire, which includes a ban on price gouging. According to the state, price gouging is any price increase of more than 10% compared to pre-disaster prices. Experts have warned that leasing agents and landlords hike prices in times of disaster as demand for rental properties sharply increases.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is absolutely unacceptable and illegal to do in the face of this horrible tragedy,&rdquo; state Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, representing parts of western Los Angeles, said at a news conference Sunday.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Jason Oppenheim, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/young-people-should-get-involved-in-politics-cant-wait-in-line-rep-cawthorn\/\" title=\"Young People Should Get Involved in Politics, Can\u2019t \u2018Wait in Line:\u2019 Rep. Cawthorn\">real estate agent<\/a> of the popular Netflix show&nbsp;<em>Selling Sunset<\/em>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cz0l4pkrrm9o\" target=\"_blank\">told<\/a>&nbsp;the BBC he sent a client to a listing where the landlord was previously asking <\/span>for $13,000 per month before increasing the rent by $10,000 on the spot.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[My client] offered $20,000 a month, and he offered to pay six months upfront, and the landlord said &lsquo;I want $23,000&rsquo;,&rdquo; Oppenheim said. &ldquo;There are price gouging laws in California, they&rsquo;re just being ignored right now, and this isn&rsquo;t the time to be taking advantage of situations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, whose office has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3281929\/20-suspected-looters-arrested-los-angeles-fires-sheriff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">arrested<\/a> nearly a dozen people on charges of looting evacuated homes, also <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/comlabman\/status\/1878495417609994318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">warned<\/a> that landlords or real estate agents who &ldquo;take advantage&rdquo; of disaster to increase prices will face prosecution.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Whether it&rsquo;s people renting rooms, whether it&rsquo;s people selling services, selling goods, you get to raise the rent by 10%. If you raise it above 10%, you are guilty of price gouging. You will be prosecuted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">district attorney&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s office. You could be sued civilly,&rdquo; Hochman said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And for all those internet scammers out there, please understand that we will absolutely go after you. Your conduct is as despicable as if you were effectively as looting,&rdquo; Hochman added.<\/p>\n<p>Officials in California are urging those who witness price gouging to report the malpractice.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If prices look really out of whack &mdash; if they look like they&rsquo;ve increased from what you&rsquo;re used to &mdash; report it to us,&rdquo; Bonta <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/losangeles\/video\/attorney-general-rob-bonta-issues-warning-about-price-gouging-amid-wildfires\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">told<\/a> KCAL News. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take it from there. We&rsquo;ll evaluate it. We&rsquo;ll hold folks accountable and enforce if necessary.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Call<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MyLA311\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> @MyLA311<\/a> to report illegally hiked rents and prices,&rdquo; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted on social media. &ldquo;We have no tolerance for it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1931527\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1931527\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rents surge in LA as fires displace residents, prompting illegal hikes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2910,"featured_media":2390245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2192544004.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[15031,48506,36587,36585],"class_list":["post-2390244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-rents","tag-displaced-people","tag-housing-crisis","tag-los-angeles"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2192544004.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2910"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2390244"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2390248,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390244\/revisions\/2390248"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2390245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2390244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2390244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2390244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}