As more and more reports of rent gouging surface in Los Angeles as thousands of Angelenos displaced by the wildfires search for immediate and longer term places to live, the county Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on Tuesday, Jan. 21, offering eviction protection for renters that open their homes to people and pets that have been uprooted by the fires.
The resolution states that tenants in unincorporated areas of the county “shall not be evicted based on the presence of unauthorized occupants or pets” if they were displaced by the fires. Some restrictions on short-term rentals (STRs) were suspended to allow for additional housing.
STR hosts will be allowed to offer and advertise multiple listings, an accessory dwelling unit for use as an STR, vacation rentals for use as an STR and unlimited unhosted stays exceeding the current 90-day maximum. These provisions are limited only to those hosting fire victims. They will remain in effect until May 31, 2026.
“As we face one of the most devastating natural disasters in Los Angeles County’s history, we must act with urgency to protect and support those displaced, and the Angelenos supporting them, from the threat of eviction,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. “This motion ensures that displaced residents have immediate access to housing while safeguarding tenants who open their homes to others in need.”
Just before the meeting was held, tenant unions representing different cities – including LA, Pasadena, Glendale,Burbank and the community of Altadena – held a rally outside the boardroom to demand the Board of Supervisors take steps toward stronger action – a rent freeze and to enact a countywide eviction moratorium.
Before the meeting, Tony Carfello – an organizer with the LA Tenants Union – expressed his skepticism that relaxing some of the restrictions on STRs will help, specifically those that will apply to Airbnb rentals. The Airbnb company as a whole, has garnered controversy, as some believe that their STRs have contributed to housing shortages and landlords that have converted their properties into STRs to increase their income, also drives up rent.
“The last thing we need are Airbnb owners being deputized to take us through this emergency,” Carfello said. “We’ll see this item on the agenda today from the supervisors as representative of a very, very weak approach to a situation that demands forceful action.”
The rent gouging started occurring in LA immediately after the wildfires began, Carfello said. He explained that the cost of housing shot up in some areas by as much as 30%.
In California, it’s illegal for businesses and landlords to increase prices by more than 10% during a declared state of emergency. Violators can receive up to a year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. A proclamation of a state of emergency was issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 7.
Tenant Harassment
Carfello also claimed that his organization has seen landlords starting to harass tenants with
“frivolous three-day notices [made to look official] and various threats” to scare and force people out of their apartments in order to make way for those displaced by the wildfires and in need of shelter who may be desperate with few options and feel they have no choice but to pay an exorbitant price for rent.
“We have thousands and thousands of residences that are destroyed, so we’re going to have this flood [of people] into the LA [housing] market,” Carfello explained, “and there are many landlords that are saying, ‘OK, now is my chance to jump at that.’ We’re talking to members in our organization who have already been facing this kind of sudden and new harassment.”
It will take time to fully understand the impact of the LA wildfires, he explained, as it not only affected people’s homes but their jobs as well. Gardeners and landscapers that worked on homes in the affected areas, teachers that worked in schools that were damaged and workers at restaurants that were destroyed were all affected, which Carfello said will have a ripple effect.
“There’s a lot of flow [of people] between neighborhoods and places, like the Palisades who are supported by people who come from parts of Central, South and East LA,” Carfello said. “When the whole neighborhood burns and goes away, it’s not just those residents that are gone – it’s the whole economic ecosystem of those places.”
Although rent gouging is illegal, many people in LA can still expect to see an increase in their rent as part of the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, he explained, which includes areas affected by the wildfires. Those whose jobs have been affected will not only have to still pay rent next month but pay more than in January.
“That’s why we’re coming to the county supervisors, to ask them to really think of and treat the situation of tenants in the county as an emergency.”