LA County Leaders Seek to Increase Penalties for Rent Gouging

Los Angeles County landlords that attempt to price gouge victims of the recent wildfires could face fines of up to $50,000 if a proposal by county supervisors is finalized, reports Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times.

“In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, California law generally prohibits landlords from charging more than 10% above what they were previously asking. Violators could face up to a year in jail and a fine of $10,000.” Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger want to see the penalties increase after reports of steeply increased rents.

Advocates say the move would be largely symbolic if it doesn’t come with stepped-up enforcement. Since the January fires, only two landlords have been charged with price gouging by the city attorney, though a tenant advocacy group says they have collected over 2,000 examples. 

City officials in Los Angeles are also looking to regulate rent pricing software, which San Francisco banned, calling it “automated price-fixing.”