Los Angeles residents struggle between fire danger and exploitation by landlords

Five days after fleeing the advancing flames that devoured the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in the Los Angeles area, those fleeing the fires are still suffering the brunt of the disaster, in addition to searching for a place to stay in the face of owners raising the prices of homes and apartments.

Those fleeing say that inflating prices is crazy and shameful, and that they have no place to stay.

The many fires raging around Los Angeles since last Tuesday have forced more than 150,000 people to leave their homes.

The fire in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which includes many celebrities, is arousing great interest, as it affects a wealthy class in the second largest American city, and some see this as an opportunity to benefit.

Illegal practices

“It’s really crazy,” says clothing designer Lieberman. “We applied to rent a house in Venice that was listed in the advertisement as renting $17,000 a month, but when we arrived we were told that we wouldn’t get it unless we paid $30,000.”

She added: “They told me that there are people who are ready to bid and pay in cash, and with what is happening in the market now, some people will not find a place to stay.”

“I have friends who moved into a hotel outside of Los Angeles and were asked a higher room rate than what was advertised when they arrived,” says TV producer Alex Smith, who also had to leave his home.

California real estate prices

In California, which is suffering severely from the effects of climate warming and whose real estate prices are high, exploitation of wildfire victims is nothing new.

On Saturday, the US Attorney General stated that artificially inflating prices is “a crime punishable by one year in prison and a $10,000 fine.”

When a state of emergency is declared, the law allows prices to be raised by a maximum of 10%.

Protection measures

The rental protection measures would have expired after 30 to 180 days, but California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed an executive order extending them until January 7, 2026, given the extent of the damage.

The Public Prosecutor warned rental platforms and all those who use algorithmic programs that automatically determine prices according to demand, against exceeding this ceiling.

He said: “You must find a way to adjust your prices to respect the law, and if this requires abandoning algorithmic programs, do so, and we will follow up with the necessary prosecutions.”

Sleeping in the car

In the parking lot, Brian has been sleeping in his old car since Tuesday with a blanket provided by the Red Cross.
This retired man had lived in Pacific Palisades for 20 years in a one-room apartment with a rent ceiling, but the fire destroyed his building.

“Sleeping in the car when I was young was fun, but now at my age it’s difficult,” says the 69-year-old former municipal employee.

As the shock and disbelief subside, he worries about finding a new home as rental prices in Los Angeles have nearly doubled in ten years.

“I’m looking for housing with tens of thousands of people, and I don’t expect it to be easy,” he says.