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. “It’s important that the victims of these fires be treated with respect and dignity and fairness,” Bonta said at a news conference in Los Angeles on Saturday. In 2018, the attorney general’s office charged just two cases against landlords and real estate agents for alleged illegal price hikes following fires that destroyed thousands of homes in Northern California. Emily McDonald, a spokesperson for the company, said Zillow has started to use its “internal systems” to find potential violations and remove listings “with price increases that exceed the state of emergency threshold.” “Zillow takes the responsibility consumers place on us to promote fair renting practices seriously — and even more so during times of crisis,” McDonald said. One real estate agent said her client said the “10% cap just isn’t realistic for how much demand there is in the market.” According to the agent, who asked for anonymity in order to speak freely, the landlord ordered her to increase rent on a Santa Monica listing beyond the allowable threshold, bypassing the agent’s warning about the law.