California Atty. General Rob Bonta warned owners on Saturday that pricing The rules in force due to fires of the County of Los Angeles apply even in cases where the wars of the auctions broke out on their property.
Under these rules, which started when the governor declared the state of emergency, local owners cannot generally invoice more than 10% above what they were invoicing or advertising before the crisis.
Many owners have in any case attempted to charge above these levels, displaying online lists which sometimes show an increase of 50%, or even 100%.
Rental advertisements attracted the indignation of politicians, groups of tenants and even certain organizations of owners who have all urged the police to repress.
Bonta promised pursueBut there has been confusion among some agents, owners and tenants, if the law applies to cases where there is an auction war.
Sometimes the fire victims – whether at the owner's request, or under their own will – have submitted offers well above the initial, desperate price to find accommodation in a tight market after the fires destroyed their houses.
In a press release on Saturday, the prosecutor's office general sought to clarify any confusion, explicitly affirming that the prices law applies to tender wars, the owners unable to accept offers that lead to rent exceeding the limits otherwise fixed by law.
“The main thing is as follows: the owners cannot invoice or accept, the rent exceeds the 10% ceiling established by the prices law of California, even if they find someone who is ready to pay it,” said Bonta in a press release. “Our legislature has promulgated solid protections for tenants in times of crisis, and I undertook to ensure that these protections are followed and respected.”
If they are found guilty of prices, the owners can incur up to a year in prison and criminal sanctions of $ 10,000 per violation. The Prosecutor General's office urged the Californians who believe that they were victims of prices that behave to report it oag.ca.gov/Report.
