Los Angeles landlords are being accused of raising rents as the supply of homes in the Southern California metropolis drops amid the fires.
"The thing I want to discuss because I think it should be exposed, but we're having landlords taking advantage of the situation," "Selling Sunset" star Jason Oppenheim told the BBC. "I had a client, we sent him to a house asking $13,000 a month.
But the emergency had the landlord pressing for far more.
"He offered $20,000 a month, and he offered to pay six months upfront. And the landlord said, 'No, I want $23,000 a month.'"
On Jan. 7, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and announced that state price-gouging laws would be implemented. Under California Penal Code Section 396, raising "the price of many consumer goods and services by more than 10% after an emergency has been declared" is illegal.
But Oppenheim said that the price-gouging laws are being "ignored right now."
During a Saturday press conference, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, "Some of our hotels and some of our landlords use algorithms based on demand and supply to set their prices. If those prices lead to increases higher than before the emergency by 10%, that's against the law.
"If you're a mom-and-pop landlord and you're not aware of these laws, now you are aware. Ignorance is not an excuse."
The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that rents are likely to increase around the areas hardest hit by the fires: Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Those seeking to rebuild will trigger a bidding war for contractors, according to the Times, which noted the impact on the home insurance market would lead to increased costs for all Los Angeles residents.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura County till Wednesday over concern that the dry conditions could lead to more wildfires.