Rampant post-fire price gouging went unpunished, report alleges

"When the Palisades and Eaton fires displaced thousands of tenants last year, landlords across L.A. jacked up rental prices while the flames were still burning. Officials were quick to respond, vowing crackdowns on price gouging. A new report asserts that many of those threats were toothless. Published by activist organization the Rent Brigade, the report analyzed L.A. County's rental market in the year after the fires. It found 18,360 potential examples of price gouging in listings, but only 12 lawsuits filed so far."

"Gov. Gavin Newsom put price-gouging rules into effect on Jan. 7, the day of the fires. They've been in place in L.A. County ever since, and they're currently extended through Feb. 27, 2026. The protections prohibit landlords from raising rents by more than 10%, but many seemed undeterred by the rules. In the week after the fires, one agent told The Times that their landlord client said they "doubt it'll be prosecuted," ordering the agent to raise the price more than 10%. A Beverly Grove condo jumped from $5,000 to $8,000. A property in Venice listed for 60% more. A Santa Monica home got a price bump of more than 100%. "I was shocked by how many clear, unavoidable cases of price gouging there were," said Philip Meyer, a volunteer with the Rent Brigade who co-authored the report. "A lot of folks didn't seem to think there'd be any accountability, so they were breaking the law in plain view.""

After the Palisades and Eaton fires displaced thousands of tenants, Rent Brigade identified 18,360 potential examples of post-fire price gouging in L.A. County rental listings, yet only 12 lawsuits have been filed. Price-gouging rules instituted Jan. 7 cap rent increases at 10% and remain extended through Feb. 27, 2026, but many landlords raised rents far beyond that limit. Examples include a Beverly Grove condo rising from $5,000 to $8,000, a Venice property up 60%, and a Santa Monica home increasing more than 100%. Enforcement was minimal, with as much as $49 million possibly collected illegally and 42% of suspect listings concentrated where displaced residents relocated.

Read at Los Angeles Times