A new study by a tenant advocacy group shows a major increase in rent prices across the Los Angeles area during Southern California’s recent wildfires despite laws preventing price gouging

Rent prices across the Los Angeles region have skyrocketed just as thousands of people are scrambling to find lodging after the wildfires. The Washington Post, for example, analyzed listings via RentCast and found that rent has increased 20% overall in Los Angeles County since the fires began.

Tenant advocacy groups, landlord associations and elected officials are condemning rent gouging after tens of thousands of people were displaced in deadly fires this month.

The ongoing wildfires have set off a stampede to find housing, leading some homeowners and property managers to raise rents higher than the 10% allowed during emergencies.

The recent infernos in Southern California have ignited a housing crisis, with rental prices exploding and home values reeling across the region, according to one senior real estate analyst.