Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim accuses LA landlords of 'illegally' raising rental prices to cash in on wildfire disaster

Jason Oppenheim accuses LA landlords of 'illegally' raising rent to cash in on wildfireSource BBC

Transcript

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?