Rental Price Gouging and Scamming Fueling the Flames for California Wildfire Victims

The president of the Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors said that housing in the area will again be scarce.
Rental Price Gouging and Scamming Fueling the Flames for California Wildfire Victims
The Palisades Fire burns above a home in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles on Jan. 11, 2025. Eric Thayer/AP Photo
Mary Prenon
Mary Prenon
Freelance Reporter
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Ever since the deadly California wildfires began, Lauren Ravitz has often been jolted out of bed at 6 a.m. by phone calls from homeless fire victims desperately seeking a place to live. A realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Global Network in Los Angeles, Ravitz, has also been receiving up to 100 emails or texts daily.

“It’s a dire situation here, and it’s devastating for those who have lost everything—they’re all scrambling to find a place to rent,” Ravitz told The Epoch Times. “Many have temporarily moved into hotels, some are living in Airbnb’s, and others are sleeping on friend’s sofas.”

Mary Prenon
Mary Prenon
Freelance Reporter
Mary T. Prenon covers real estate and business. She has been a writer and reporter for over 25 years with various print and broadcast media in New York.