Five days after an inferno ravaged Pacific Palisades, Maya Lieberman is desperate to find a place to stay. But unscrupulous landlords, who are raising prices, are making it difficult.
“The price hikes are insane, it’s obscene,” the 50-year-old stylist told AFP. “I can’t find anywhere for us to go.”
The massive fire that has been raging in Los Angeles since Tuesday has destroyed entire neighborhoods, reducing much of the city to ashes. More than 150,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes as authorities try to bring down the death toll which has already reached 16.
A fire devastated Pacific Palisades, a luxurious enclave that was home to celebrities like Billy Crystal and Kate Beckinsale, which – until this week – was one of the most desirable real estate in the United States.
Reading: Los Angeles residents told to stay indoors to avoid toxic wildfire smoke
With the area now under mandatory evacuation orders, even those whose homes escaped the fire may need to go elsewhere for the foreseeable future.
It appears that the higher than average incomes of those forced to leave their homes there are luring chancers who see an opportunity to make money from the misery of others.
“We put in an application on a house … that was listed at $17,000 a month, and they told us if we didn’t pay $30,000, we wouldn’t get it,” Lieberman said.
“They told me they have people who are willing to offer more and pay cash. It’s absolutely crazy.”
illegal
Similar stories of apparent price gouging abound.
“I have some friends who booked a hotel outside of Los Angeles and when they got there, they were asked for a higher price,” said Alex Smith, a TV producer who was forced to leave his home.
The harsh practice has angered California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who warned Saturday that there are laws against it.
“Price gouging is illegal. We will not stand for it. We will hold you accountable. We will prosecute,” he told reporters. He said those found guilty could face a jail term of one year.
Once a state of emergency is declared – as is the case for a fire that is out of control – sellers cannot raise their prices by more than 10 percent.
Reading: LA wildfire will be the costliest US disaster, will cause losses of $ 135 billion
This applies to small businesses as well as large companies whose automated tools use supply and demand to determine the cost of everything from hotel stays to concert tickets.
“If prices go up more than 10 percent after the emergency is declared because of those algorithms than before, you are violating the law,” he said.
“You need to figure out how to adjust your prices to be consistent with the law. And if that means you’re deviating from your algorithm, then deviating from your algorithm.”
For Brian, a retiree who has been sleeping in his car since evacuation orders were extended, the short-term rules protecting against price increases are almost irrelevant.
The 69-year-old, who did not want to give his full name, has lived in a rent-controlled studio apartment in Pacific Palisades for two decades.
That has now ended, along with the guarantee that its fare cannot increase.
They fear their pensions won’t go far in a city where rents have doubled over the past 10 years – a problem likely to be exacerbated by the sudden influx of people needing a new place to live.
“I’m back in the market with thousands of people,” he said.
“It’s not a good sign.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)