'Selling Sunset' Jason Oppenheim Slams Price Hiking L.A. Landlords Amid The Wildfires

Jason Oppenheim is addressing the lack of consideration by property owners amid the disastrous ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.

The "Selling Sunset" star called out overzealous L.A. landlords who have chosen the worst possible period to rip off desperate victims seeking shelter as the fire outbreak continues ravaging areas in the city.

Jason Oppenheim is an experienced Los Angeles property mogul with a prosperous real estate brokerage featured on Netflix's "Selling Sunset."

The TV personality revealed that multiple displaced people who survived the ruins of their homes are now grappling with skyrocketing rents as they search for new properties.

Despite California's anti-price gouging laws, Oppenheim confirmed that one client had been charged thousands over the original asking price to rent a home.

He added that his business, which involves closing high-end real estate deals for clients in Los Angeles, had received numerous calls from people who had lost homes.

The reality star shared that he is playing an essential role in providing relief to the affected parties by offering free consulting services—but to his shock, some landlords are using this opportunity to rip customers off.

Oppenheim recalled sending a client to visit a property where the landlord had previously been asking for $13,000 per month in rent. In his words to BBC:

"[My client] offered $20,000 a month, and he offered to pay six months upfront, and the landlord said, 'I want $23,000."

Oppenheim added that the greedy property owners have conveniently chosen to ignore the laws preventing ripping potential homeowners off.

California authorities have reportedly warned businesses against illegally hiking the price of items more than 10% above their pre-disaster value to cushion the disaster's economic impact on people.

"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," he declared.

The Netflix star described this period as "emotional" for every homeowner and California resident. He added: "Everyone has tears in their eyes all day long, literally from the smoke but also just because it's emotional to see people struggling like this."

Oppenheim is not the only concerned party condemning the outrageous price hike in Los Angeles. California Attorney General Rob Bonta confirmed on Saturday that landlords were milking the unfortunate situation for their financial benefits. Bonta insisted:

"You cannot do it. It is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and fines. This is California law [and] it's in place to protect those suffering from a tragedy."

Another affected resident, a retiree identified as Brian, had lived in a rent-controlled apartment in the Pacific Palisades for about two decades and had just lost his home in the fires.

Now, the 69-year-old is not confident that his pension will cover the cost of a new home in a city where rents have astronomically spiked over the last decade. Property listings on sites like Zillow have placed the median rent for properties in L.A. at $2,800 (£2,295).

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna shared a new perspective on the development, confirming that nearly 29 arrests have been made since the disaster began. The law enforcement officer added that the arrests included a man posing as a firefighter to break in and burgle a home.

He stated that the police were "eager to prosecute" anyone who had "taken advantage of our residents during this very difficult time" and warned against perpetrating white-collar scams on vulnerable victims.

L.A. police shared that the number of arrests for looting since the incident began last Tuesday was "continuously growing."

Many celebs have wielded their voices and platforms for the right cause as the people of California continue to grapple with the ruins of the fire.

As reported by The Blast, Perry took to his Instagram on Sunday to express his displeasure towards insurance companies who canceled home policies for their L.A. clients right before the fire.

"Watching a daughter use a garden hose to try to protect her 90-year-old parents' home because their insurance was canceled was just gut-wrenching to me," the billionaire began in his statement.

He wondered what prompted the companies to hastily cancel their policies, leaving people who had paid premiums all their lives with nothing to fall back on.

"Does anyone else find it appalling that insurance companies can take billions of dollars out of communities for years and then, all of a sudden, be allowed to cancel millions of policies for the very people they became rich on?" Perry continued.

The author added, "People who have paid premiums all their lives are left with nothing because of pure greed."

Hollywood favorite faces, including Adam Brody, Anthony Hopkins, Miles Teller, Paris Hilton, and Anna Faris, have all lost their beloved homes in the wake of the fire.

They join the official figures released by Cal Fire on Sunday confirming that the Palisades fire had burned almost 24,000 acres as of Sunday, while the Eaton Fire burned over 14,000 acres.

On the flip side, many celebrities have also lent helping hands to succor to affected victims. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted distributing food and home essentials to victims.

Angelina Jolie and her son Knox also shopped for essential supplies for those in need. Reality star Kim Kardashian urged Governor Gavin Newsom to increase the pay of selfless inmates who have volunteered as firefighters and, by extension, proven that they can be better citizens.