American real estate mogul Jason Oppenheim has lashed out at landlords for exploiting the wildfire crisis in Los Angeles. The star of ‘Selling Sunset’ expressed his dismay, noting that hotels are “overwhelmed” and many residents are left without shelter.
With visible emotion, he spoke about the distress of locals who have “tears in their eyes all day long” as they watch their homes and possessions consumed by the fires. However, Oppenheim is particularly incensed by landlords who see this as an opportunity for profit, flouting California’s anti-price gouging laws which prohibit capitalising on natural disasters.
On Sunday with Laura Kuennsberg, he said: “I think it should be exposed, but we’re having landlords taking advantage of the situation. I had a client. We sent him to a house that was asking $13,000 a month. He offered $20,000 a month, and he offered to pay six months up front. And the landlord said: ‘No, I want $23,000 a month.'” He condemned such actions as not only morally reprehensible but also illegal, stating: “There are price gouging laws in California. They’re just being ignored right now, and this isn’t the time to be taking advantage of situations, and it’s also illegal to take advantage of a natural disaster.” You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here .
Oppenheim affirmed his belief that these laws are being broken, adding: “I researched the law last night. You cannot charge more than 10% pre-disaster market rates.”
Jason Oppenheim on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Jason, when asked about his feelings towards parts of LA being reduced to ruins, said: “I can’t even put words to it. I never could have imagined that this would have happened here. And maybe that’s naivety on my part. But communities like Altadena, you know, very hard working class areas and these people really lost not just their homes, but their belongings, their clothes.”, reports the Mirror.
He added: “Forget about the $50 to $100 billion of damage that’s caused, it’s emotional for everyone. I mean, I think everyone just has tears and, you know, in their eyes all day long, not literally from the smoke, but also just because it’s emotional to see people struggling like this.”
But he remained optimistic about the city’s recovery: “We are so resilient… we’ll rebuild better and with stronger foundations.”
The death toll from the wildfires in LA has climbed to 16, with firefighters working tirelessly to contain the fires before expected strong winds could drive them towards iconic landmarks. Thousands, including celebrities like Paris Hilton, have been left without homes.
In an online briefing on Saturday evening, Michael Traum from the California Office of Emergency Services revealed that 150,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders. Over 700 individuals have sought shelter in nine different locations.
The ongoing response involves crews from California and nine other states, with a total of 1,354 fire engines, 84 aircraft and over 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico, he added.
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