Rent seen rising in areas hit by Calif. wildfires
Kalen Wehagen thought her troubles were over after her apartment survived the wildfires that ripped through California’s wine country.
But the sense of relief wouldn’t last long. Within weeks, Wehagen said her family was handed a 60day eviction notice. She said the property owner informed them that their Santa Rosa apartment would be remodeled and that they could return if they paid an extra $700 a month in rent — after already hiking the rent 10 percent.
Scores of residents like Wehagen have alleged rent gouging after the October firestorms torched thousands of homes, leaving many people without homes and exacerbating an already severe housing shortage.
As the wildfires ravaged Northern California, Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 9 declared a state of emergency, making it a crime under the state’s anti-price gouging law to raise the prices of goods and services, including housing rentals, more than 10 percent. The governor extended the ban through April 18.
But in the areas hardest hit by fires, rents have skyrocketed and prosecutors say allegations of rent gouging are often not clear-cut.
The median rent listing increased from September to October by 32 percent across Sonoma County, 23 percent in Napa County and 16 percent in Santa Rosa, according to Zillow Real Estate Research. Neighboring counties unaffected by the wildfires showed little change in the median rent price.