In Los Angeles, the difficulty of fire survivors finding rehousing

Several days after fleeing the flames that devoured her neighborhood of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, Maya Lieberman still has a tight throat. But in addition to the disaster, she must now fight to find new housing, against unscrupulous owners. “The prices are exorbitant”this 50-year-old stylist confides to AFP, behind her sunglasses. “It’s crazy, I can’t find a place to go.”

The multiple fires that have ravaged the outskirts of Los Angeles since Tuesday have forced more than 150,000 people to flee their homes. That of Pacific Palisades, an upscale area which is home to celebrities like Laeticia Hallyday or Adam Brody, provokes a morbid fascination, because it touches the upper crust of the American megalopolis. Some people obviously see it as an opportunity to make money.

“It’s completely crazy”says Maya Lieberman. “We applied for a house in Venice that was listed for $17,000 a month, and they told us if we didn’t pay $30,000 we wouldn’t get it.” “They told me that they have people ready to outbid, and to pay cash”she whispers. Taking refuge in a hotel with a swimming pool on Santa Monica beach, this American, whose house was miraculously spared by the flames, knows well that she is not “not the most to complain about”.

Illegal practices

But that doesn’t stop her from feeling insulted, and from worrying about the thousands of evacuees less fortunate than her. “With what’s happening in the market now, some people will have nowhere to go.”she fears. “I have friends who stayed in a hotel outside of Los Angeles, and were charged a higher rate than advertised when they got there”sighs Alex Smith, a television producer also forced to evacuate.

In a California at the forefront of global warming, and with an exorbitant real estate market, taking advantage of the victims of forest fires is unfortunately a great classic. On Saturday, the state attorney general recalled that artificial price inflation is a “crime punishable by one year in prison and a $10,000 fine”.

The magistrate warned rental platforms, and all those who use algorithms that automatically set prices based on demand, ordering them to comply with the legislation under penalty of prosecution. Once a state of emergency is declared, the law caps price increases at a maximum of 10% for a period of a few months. But due to the extent of the damage, the state governor signed a decree on Sunday extending the measure until January 2026.

“Fending for yourself”

Besides the ultra-rich, “there are also a lot of tenants” in Pacific Palisades, continues Ms. Lieberman. “The neighborhood doesn’t necessarily correspond to people’s stereotypes.” A simple detour to an emergency accommodation center a few kilometers away is enough to see this. In the parking lot, Brian has been sleeping in his old gray sedan since Tuesday, with a blanket donated by the Red Cross.

This retiree had lived in Pacific Palisades for 20 years, in a studio where the rent is capped. But his building was razed by flames. “It was fun to sleep in my car when I was younger, but at my age it’s harder.”whispers this 69-year-old ex-municipal employee, without giving his full name. Now that the astonishment is fading, he approaches the search for a new apartment with apprehension. Because rents in Los Angeles have almost doubled over the past ten years.

“I’m in the market again with tens of thousands of people. This doesn’t bode well.”he sighs. To find something affordable, this Californian goes “probably have to move further inland, to Sherman Oaks or Studio City”.

Hilly neighborhoods behind the Hollywood Hills, even more at risk of fire than the area where he lived near the ocean. Thursday evening, a fire caused panic in Studio City, before being quickly brought under control. “What else can I do?”blurted Brian. “Now I have to fend for myself.”