A few months after the fire torested Palisade and Altadena in the Pacific, rents are rising faster near the burning area than elsewhere in Los Angeles County.
Analysis shows that postcodes within three miles of the Palisade fire increased 4.8% from December to April. Within three miles of the Eton fire that destroyed Eltadena belts, rent jumped 5.2%.
The LA County ZIP codes have a much smaller gain, although it is far more than three miles of either burn area, at 2.2%.
Experts say rent can rise for multiple reasons, but it could climb faster near the fire as thousands of homes were destroyed and evacuated residents wanted to stay near where they built their lives, which has already created a surge in drum demand.
“It won’t surprise me,” said Nicole Lambro, professor of urban planning at Polipomona, California. “Because that’s your community, you’re approaching where you were.”
In the weeks since the flames broke out, there have been widespread reports of landlords illegally holding prices, raising rents by more than 50%. However, there was debate about how the effects of the fire were broad and long-term, leading to different responses from different agencies.
In February, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed eviction protections for many tenants that were economically affected by the fire, but the Los Angeles City Council refused to take similar steps amid concerns that would hurt landowners.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has not leased apartments for evacuated revivals, as after a similar disaster. Data shows that adequate housing is available.
To carry out that analysis, the Times looked at Zillow Rent Data at the Zillow Rent Level at the Zip Code level, at the average rent from December (the month before the fire) to April.
As seasonal trends tend to push rents up during the month, times compare changes to past years and find that rents have increased over the recent period.
Housing and disaster recovery experts said evacuation could be contributing to at least a little higher rent in areas more than three miles from the disaster zone.
However, the biggest impact appears to be in the area closest to the burn area, where rents have risen by about 5% since December.
Communities included in the postcode near the burned areas of Parisades were Malibu, Santa Monica and Westwood. Zip cords near Altadena included Pasadena, Arcadia and Monrovia.
Over the past few years, rents have also risen faster in these areas compared to other parts of the county, but the disparity has grown after launch. Experts have shown that the fire is the cause.
Daniel Teles, a housing researcher with a think tank at the Urban Institute, said the tenants’ impact depends on their financial situation.
“For many people, that’s just a few points, but there are a lot of people who just can’t just pay the rent,” he said. “For them, some percentage points are the difference between whether they paid all their bills that month or not.”
Lambrou said the Times findings are consistent with other studies, including herself, on how disasters affect housing costs. She said that rents will fall as recovery progresses, but that the fire should not be so bad as it should represent a one-off injection of new demand.
“We are not going to see a constant surge in rental prices,” she said.
Terres said the range of rent steady in areas near the fire depends on how quickly new homes are built and how many people are still in hotels and other short-term options, and is quickly looking for rentals in tight markets.
“If there are still people in a transitional home… that can continue to affect it,” he said.
The search for the permanent home of 72-year-old retired teacher Gladys Clark and her husband William have been dragged over for months.
After losing their home for about 30 years in Altadena, the couple bouncing between several hotels before moving to Airbnb in Monrovia.
Clark said he wanted to stay near memories they had built over the years with five children, 21 grandchildren and one great grandson, failing about about 30 homes near Altadena. One of them retreated after the landlord agreed to one price just to raise $300.
Clark then said her daughter’s client reached out to her with the offer to rent an Altadena home in the long run. They are scheduled to leave Airbnb for the weekend, ideally staying until the Grandeur Avenue home is rebuilt.
“It was a really difficult time,” Clark said. “I have to give him glory.”
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