L.A. Wildfire Victims Hit By $7.7 Million Rent-Gouging
People whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the L.A. wildfires sometimes face rent rates above those allowed by the state. Some of these people’s bank accounts have already been drained.
*Rent Brigade
*Trouble In America’s Southwest
Rent Brigade states, “We looked at every Zillow listing in LA County from January 7th to 18th. Landlords and agents are illegally overcharging renters by $7.7 million per month.” The organization tracks the numbers and offers them as a spreadsheet. Regulations stipulate that landlords cannot change more than 10% above existing list prices.
Practice Hard To Track
While it is hard to track this practice, it likely happens after disasters that destroy large numbers of residences. Since thousands of rental units would need to be tracked to prevent the process and punish landlords, the chance of dissuading the practice via prosecutions and fines is an insurmountable one.Â
Hidden Documents
Because documents between landlords and tenants are private or do not exist at all, according to Fortune, “Listed rents soared more than 200% in parts of LA after the wildfires, despite anti-gouging rules.”
The rules apply but can’t be enforced.
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