Chelsea Kirk had a realization on the third day of the Southern California wildfires: “The rent is going to go up.” Acting quickly, she checked Zillow and found a rental listing that had increased its price by more than 10% in the wake of the fires. This hike was illegal. With Governor Gavin Newsom declaring states of emergency in both L.A. and Ventura Counties, California Penal Code 396 prohibits landlords from raising rent more than 10% above pre-emergency levels. Any increase beyond that is considered price gouging, a violation that could lead to criminal charges. Curious about the post-fire rental market and the media attention surrounding Chelsea’s now-viral google spreadsheet, tomexploresla stopped by to hear bad__tenant ‘s perspective. #latimes #rentgouging