Jason Oppenheim accuses LA landlords of 'illegally' raising rent to cash in on wildfireSource BBC
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00:00Since we offered our services for free, we've received dozens and dozens of calls from people who have lost their homes in the fires.
00:10And, you know, we're doing our best. It's all hands on deck right now.
00:13But it's really difficult because there are thousands of people who are displaced without places to stay.
00:20The hotels are overwhelmed all the way down to Newport Beach and even into San Diego.
00:26You can't get a hotel room right now.
00:28And even unfortunately, and this is something that I want to discuss because I think it should be exposed,
00:32but we're having landlords taking advantage of the situation.
00:36I had a client, we sent him to a house that was asking $13,000 a month.
00:41He offered $20,000 a month and he offered to pay six months up front.
00:46And the landlord said, no, I want $23,000 a month.
00:49You know, there are price gouging laws in California that are just being ignored right now.
00:54This isn't the time to be taking advantage of situations.
00:57And it's also illegal to take advantage of a natural disaster.
01:00So do you think that landlords might be not just profiting during this emergency, but actually breaking the law?
01:06Absolutely. They are. I mean, I researched the law last night.
01:09You cannot charge more than 10 percent above pre-disaster market rates.
01:16And it must be an incredibly difficult time for everyone who lives in that area.
01:19But our viewers are familiar with seeing you show people around the most exquisite, the most lavish,
01:25the most expensive properties in the city of dreams.
01:30What's it like for you to see some parts of Los Angeles in the state they're now in, reduced to ash and rubble?