L.A. County extends wildfire price-gouging protections through May 28

Rental housing providers in Los Angeles County remain subject to wildfire-related price-gouging restrictions through May 28 after the county extended the protections for another month.

The extension continues the core limits that have applied under California's anti-price-gouging law and the county's local ordinance. Covered rent increases generally remain capped at no more than 10% above pre-emergency levels, and landlords remain restricted from evicting a residential tenant and re-renting the unit at a higher price during the protected period.

The latest extension leaves the main housing rules unchanged. The county also kept an exception for units that were not rented and not offered for rent within one year before the emergency declaration. Those units may be rented at up to 200% of the fair market rent established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The California Apartment Association has urged the county to end the emergency declaration and related price-gouging restrictions, arguing that repeated extensions lack clear benchmarks for termination and reach beyond the areas directly affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires.

The Board of Supervisors also directed the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to identify indicators, milestones or other data that could be used to evaluate whether continued extensions are necessary.

The motion identified possible factors such as rebuilding permit activity, insurance payout information, rental market data, complaint rates and displacement data. However, the board did not adopt formal phase-out criteria as part of the extension.

The protections are set to expire May 28 unless the county acts again.