With thousands of residents displaced by wildfires searching for housing, Los Angeles County is sharpening efforts to crack down on landlords who have been jacking up rents for available houses, condos, apartments and rooms.
State and county laws prohibit rental increases during a declared emergency of no more than 10%, but consumer protection groups monitoring listings in L.A. County say some landlords have raised prices up to four times the fair market value.
On Tuesday, the county’s Board of Supervisors voted to increase the maximum civil penalty for anyone caught price gouging during the fire emergency from $10,000 to $50,000 per violation.
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