Signs of soaring housing rents after L.A. bushfires...Authorities "crackdown on illegal activities"

With tens of thousands of people estimated to have lost their homes in major wildfires in Los Angeles and LA, landlords are raising housing rents significantly.

According to the Associated Press on the 19th, the US real estate information site Zillow recently posted monthly rent for a three-bedroom new apartment in downtown L.A., up 55% from three months ago, at $8,500 and KRW 12.41 million.

In the wake of a series of cases of profiteering by raising rents significantly after the L.A. wildfire, authorities have defined it as illegal and warned that they will crack down strictly.California Attorney General Ron Bopta
said in a statement that it was illegal to raise rents beyond the 10% limit of the legal standard and that "we should not take advantage of disaster victims."

If you find that you have raised your rent excessively, you could face up to a year in prison and a $10,000 fine under the relevant law.

Posts that raised rents on real estate sites have disappeared as authorities' aggressive crackdown policies have been announced, the AP said.