Your Los Angeles-Area Fire Claims Professionals

Under California law, if your rental unit is completely destroyed in a disaster, your lease will be terminated. You will no longer be obligated to pay rent, and your landlord must refund your security deposit. If the unit is partially damaged and uninhabitable, you have the option to either terminate the lease or wait for the landlord to make repairs. You won't be required to pay rent during the repair period, unless you choose to move back in. As a landlord, you are responsible for repairing the unit after a disaster and must make it livable as quickly as possible.

California’s anti-price-gouging law limits rent increases to no more than 10% above pre-emergency levels after an emergency is declared. The limit applies to both existing tenants and new leases.

Whether you need to keep paying for gas, water, and electricity depends on your service providers, your location, and the condition of your home. Southern California Edison suspended billing for all customers who live in mandatory evacuation zones. Southern California Gas customers who lost their home or business do not need to contact the company to end service. Customers who have had their natural gas service turned off by SoCalGas for safety reasons will not be billed during the outage. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power paused billing notices in areas directly affected by the fires and offers customers the ability to contact them for different payment plans.

Airbnb is providing free, temporary housing for those displaced by the fires, and you can sign up here. There are multiple hotel companies offering discounted rates. Different landlords and apartment companies, such as the Balaciano Group are offering discounts to fire victims. RentSpree is offering to waive or refund application fees for individuals who need to rent property as a result of displacement and/or property damage caused by the fires. For information, email support@rentspree.com after applying through RentSpree. Offer valid through April 8.

You can receive $770 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency under its serious needs assistance program, which can help you pay for things such as water, baby formula and food. To apply, call 1-800-621-3362 or visit https://www.disasterassistance.gov/. To apply for FEMA assistance for the Los Angeles fires, go to the official FEMA website at www.disasterassistance.gov. Alternatively, you can apply by phone by calling FEMA's helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or by visiting a local Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). You can also download the FEMA app to apply and track your claim.

If you have renter’s insurance, file a claim as soon as you can. Make sure to document all correspondence and assistance you receive. If you do not have renters’ insurance, you can apply for a low-interest loan from the federal government to replace things such as clothes, furniture, and vehicles. The loans are available through the Small Business Administration. You don’t need to own a business to qualify, and renters can borrow up to $100,000. More information is available here. Please note, even if you do not have renters’ insurance, that does not mean you do not have a case. Please send your inquires to lafires@andrewsthornton.com to learn more or call toll free at 833.497.3473

For information for resources on food, lodging, financial, childcare, Petcare, clothing donations, physical and mental health, and other resources, please click here.

State Farm said Wednesday that it will offer renewals to residential policyholders affected by the Los Angeles County fires that it had previously planned to drop. The decision applies to policies held by homeowners, owners of rental dwellings and residential community associations, which include condominium associations. You can read more here.