Rent Prices in Los Angeles Soar After Wildfires

My what a strange coincidence: Rent prices across the Los Angeles region have skyrocketed just as thousands of people are scrambling to find lodging after the wildfires. The Washington Post, for example, analyzed listings via RentCast and found that rent has increased 20% overall in Los Angeles County since the fires began. The spike varies in different cities, but the Post analysis found 30 cities in which it exceeded 10% when compared to listings from two weeks earlier—which just happens to be the state threshold for price gouging. That could come back to haunt those trying to cash in on the disasters.

"If prices look really out of whack—if they look like they've increased from what you're used to—report it to us," state Attorney General Rob Bonta previously told KCAL. "We'll take it from there. We'll evaluate it. We'll hold folks accountable and enforce if necessary." Specific examples abound of the trend:

• LAmag spotted a 300-square-foot studio apartment in Pasadena listed on January 15 for $2,300 a month, up 21% from an October listing of $1,900.
• LAist found a Zillow listing for a furnished home in Bel Air asking $29,500 per month, up 86% from a previous listing in September 2024 ($15,900). When asked to explain the steep jump, the listing agent said she had to take another call.

(More Palisades Fire stories.)