Rent increases in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties topped historical norms after January’s wildfires.
My trusty spreadsheet reviewed January estimates for what renters paid for new leases in 16 large cities for all kinds of rentals in the two counties, as compiled by ApartmentList. Rent swings between January and December were compared to average changes in this one-month period between 2017 and 2024.
This early peek at the post-fire rental market shows 10 of the 16 cities started this year with above-average price growth. However, as ApartmentList noted, “We will need to watch the data for another month or two to know if these increases are the start of a longer-term trend.”
Increases were not universal in a month that typically had little price movement.
Consider the region’s giant rental market: the city of Los Angeles. Its January median rent ran $2,501 a month, down 0.1% from December. In the same timeframe since 2017, rents were essentially flat.
Local housing costs will be carefully scrutinized in the coming months. The wildfires, which destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 structures in and around Altadena and Pacific Palisades, are a broad economic blow to the region. The loss of this much-needed housing supply will likely inflate already lofty costs for renters and homebuyers.
Government officials are keenly watching for evidence of illegal price gouging as fire victims seek replacement housing. This demand adds to the steep challenges of finding a place to live in the region.
The California Attorney General’s office said as of Jan. 28 it had sent 650 warning letters to hotels and landlords about their post-fire pricing.
Rent extremes
ApartmentList’s price estimates for a wide range of rentals found that five cities in the two counties experienced one-month rent gains of 1% or more, well above the typical January swing.
Santa Monica: $2,501 median rent for the month – up 2% from December compared to an average 0.1% dip in 2017-2024.
Thousand Oaks: $2,783 – up 1.9% vs. 0.2% historic gain.
Calabasas: $3,387 – up 1.3% vs. 0.4% historic gain.
Burbank: $2,110 – up 1.2% vs. 0.9% historic dip.
Oxnard: $2,199 – up 1% vs. 0.4% historic gain.
Smaller hikes were seen in five other cities in January …
Ventura: $2,141 median rent – up 0.9% from December vs. 0.1% historic gain.
Glendale: $2,196 – up 0.8% vs. 0.3% historic gain.
Pomona: $1,882 – up 0.5% vs. 0.3% historic dip.
Simi Valley: $2,778 – up 0.3% vs. 0.1% historic gain.
Long Beach: $1,732 – up 0.2% vs. 0.1% historic gain.
But not every city saw rent go higher in January …
Camarillo: $2,568 a month median – flat from December vs. a 0.4% one-month gain in 2017-24.
Pasadena: $2,425 – off 0.2% vs. 0.4% historic gain.
Santa Clarita: $2,411 – off 0.9% vs. 0.2% historic dip.
West Hollywood: $2,147 – off 1.1% vs. 0.4% historic dip.
West Covina: $2,103 – off 3% vs. 0.3% historic gain.
Now, take a look at the county-level trends.
Across Los Angeles County, the median rent was $2,049 in January. That’s up 0.1% vs. flat pricing historically for the month.
In Ventura County, the $2,401 typical rent was up 0.5% from December vs. a 0.2% historic gain.
Elsewhere
Other Southern California markets had similar modest moves to start 2025 …
Orange County: $2,518 median monthly rent for January, off 0.2% from December vs. 0.1% one-month increases in 2017-24.
Riverside County: $1,899 – flat from December vs. 0.2% historic gain.
San Bernardino County: $1,757 – off 0.3% from December vs. 0.4% historic gain.
San Diego County: $2,261 – up 0.1% from December vs. 0.1% historic dip.
Statewide, rents were also calm. The typical California landlord charged $2,136 monthly in January, up 0.1% from December—a tiny increase on par with 2017-24.
Caveat noted
Please remember that the math used to track rents varies wildly by the analyst, especially over short timeframes.
So, please be careful when drawing too many conclusions from any single rent study. Plus, modest changes in rent benchmarks – especially across large geographic regions – do not mean every fire victim is treated fairly.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com