After the fires, LA passed new laws against rent gouging, but they’re not being used

After fires destroyed thousands of Los Angeles County homes last year, local elected leaders passed new laws aimed at stopping massive rent hikes on the housing still available to fire victims. But a new report finds those new avenues for enforcement are not being taken.

The report from a grassroots organization called The Rent Brigade finds that no lawsuits have been filed under an anti-rent gouging ordinance passed by the L.A. City Council, and no fines have been levied after the L.A. County Board of Supervisors gave local officials the authority to monetarily punish landlords.

Anjali Claes, an organizer with The Rent Brigade, said the lack of enforcement is not because rent gouging isn’t happening. Her group has found more than 18,000 listings that appear to have violated the state law banning rent increases of more than 10% following a disaster.

“The various legislative tools that have been provided to hold landlords accountable for price gouging are not really being used to the extent that they should be,” she said.

It’s not clear exactly why tenants and their lawyers haven’t used these tools, but Claes offered a couple of theories. She said tenants may not be aware of the option, and attorneys may be hesitant to file cases that don’t yet have a proven path to success.

LAist reached out to local officials and lawmakers to ask about the lack of enforcement, but we didn’t hear back.

Few criminal charges

Prosecutors have filed a handful of criminal cases related to rent gouging. According to the report, 13 people have faced charges in 10 separate lawsuits from the California Attorney General and the L.A. City Attorney.

L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has not filed any charges, despite saying shortly after the fires that he planned to go after rent-gouging landlords.

In part because of the small number of criminal charges, local lawmakers voted last year to create new pathways for enforcement.

The L.A. City Council approved an ordinance in February 2025 that established a “private right of action,” granting tenants the right to sue landlords in civil court they accuse of violating price gouging limits.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted in July 2025 to give the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs the ability to fine landlords directly, without having to wait for criminal prosecutions.

Why the lack of enforcement?

But after reviewing court filings and submitting public records requests with the county, Rent Brigade researchers found that no lawsuits had been filed under the city’s ordinance and the county department had levied no fines.

LAist asked the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to confirm the report’s findings, but we never heard back. A spokesperson for L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park, who co-presented the motion leading to the private right of action, also did not respond to LAist’s questions on the lack of lawsuits following the City Council’s actions.

Claes, the Rent Brigade organizer, said it’s possible that county officials are still investigating landlords with the intention of levying fines in the future — but they’re not disclosing much information.

“The only information we have is that there are no closed investigations,” she said. “It's really hard to say why those fines haven't been issued yet.”