According
to
the
attorney
general’s
office,
the
agent
allegedly
attempted
to
price
gouge
a
family
who
was
evacuated
due
to
the
Los
Angeles

Eaton
Fire.
The
allegations
are
the
result
of
a
review
of
complaints
received
by
the

California
Department
of
Justice
(DOJ).
Through
the
investigation,
the
attorney
general’s
office
learned
that
after
being
evacuated
in
the
Eaton
fire,
the
family
contacted
their
real
estate
agent
to
find
a
rental
property
and
inquired
about
a
home
in
Glendale.

The
agent
representing
the
rental
property
offered
the
family
a
new
price
on
the
rental
“that
exceeded
the
listing
price
by
more
than
50%,
which
is
in
excess
of
the
10%
limit
laid
out
in
Penal
Code
section
396
while
the
Governor’s
Emergency
Orders
are
in
effect,”
according
to
the
attorney
general’s
office. 

“In
the
face
of
natural
disaster,
we
should
be
coming
together
to
help
our
neighbors,
not
attempting
to
profit
off
of
their
pain,”
Bonta
said
in
a
statement.
“Today’s
charges
are
another
example
of
DOJ’s
commitment
to
put
an
end
to
price
gouging.”

The
state’s
DOJ
currently
has
several
active
investigations
into
price
gouging
open
and
the
attorney
general’s
office
said
the
department
will
continue
to
ramp
up
deployment
of
resources
to
Los
Angeles
County
to
investigate
and
prosecute
price
gouging,
fraud,
scams,
and
unsolicited
low-ball
offers
on
property
during
the
state
of
emergency.

Those
who
are
found
to
be
in
violation
of
the
price-gouging
statute
are
subject
to
criminal
prosecution,
which
can
result
in
up
to
one-year
of
imprisonment
in
county
jail
and/or
a
fine
of
up
to
$10,000.
Civil
enforcement
actions
can
result
in
penalties
of
up
to
$2,500
per
violation. 

This
is
the
second
real
estate
agent
in
the
state
to
be
accused
of
price
gouging
related
to
the
Los
Angeles
wildfires.
Bonta’s
office

filed
charges
against
another
agent
last
Wednesday. In
that
investigation,
the
California
DOJ
found
that
after
a
couple
applied
to
rent
a
home,
they
were
informed
that
the
price
had
increased
by
38%. 

The
attorney
general’s
office
said
that
the
California
DOJ
has
sent
over
650
price
gouging
warning
letters
to
hotels
and
landlords.
The
price
gouging
restrictions
remain
in
effect
until
March
8. 

Although
an
official
number
has
yet
to
be
tallied,
it’s
expected
that

tens
of
thousands
of
homes
have
been
lost
in
the
LA
fires.
Although
the
impacts
vary
by
market,
supply
has
shrunk
in
many
neighborhoods
and
demand
for
rental
housing
options
has
skyrocketed.

Data
from

Altos
Research
shows
that
the
LA
metro
area
has
a
median
home
price
of

nearly
$1.5
million,
with
much
higher
prices
in
affluent
neighborhoods
like
Pacific
Palisades
that
have
been
decimated
by
the
fires.
But
inventory
is
rising
and
conditions
favor
sellers
in
many
areas.

John
Graff,
the
CEO
of
Ashby
&
Graff
Real
Estate
in
LA,
recently
told
HousingWire
that
the

search
for
temporary
housing
will
be
“problematic”
even
as
many
people
seek
to
rebuild.

“The
housing
supply
here
—
both
rental
and
for
purchase
—
is
incredibly
short
and
the
prices
are
incredibly
high
as
a
result,”
Graff
said.
“Obviously,
there
will
be
anti-gouging
measures
in
place
to
prevent
anything
nefarious
from
going
on,
but
the
prices
still
are
what
they
are.”