Housing | Rents

How many renters are there now compared to before the wildfires?

Less than half of respondents were renting before the fires, but the proportion has jumped up since the fires and still sits at more than 50%. Most of the increase comes from households who previously owned homes. Almost a quarter of all pre-fire homeowners are still renting. However, some new renters were previously living with family or friends or unhoused, suggesting that access to disaster assistance may have improved housing stability for some households. The proportion of fire-affected households living with family/friends or being unhoused remains substantially higher than before the wildfires.

How have the out-of-pocket rental costs of fire impacted people changed compared to before the wildfires?

Including people who receive rental assistance, out-of-pocket rents for studios and one-bedroom apartments are below pre-fire levels. Survey respondents now typically pay $500-$1,000 out-of-pocket for a studio or one-bedroom rental compared to $1,200 before the wildfires. Rental assistance pays for all or almost all of the rent (maximum of $100 out-pocket payment) for almost a quarter of respondents. Before the fires, less than 3% of 0-1 bedroom tenants had fully subsidized housing. Moreover, out-of-pocket rents for larger properties are still above pre-fire levels. Especially for three or more bedroom properties, rents remain more than substantially higher at typically around $2,400. We have observed a rise in rents for three or more bedroom units since the end of last year, but any conclusions require further monitoring. Note that the reported numbers are median (typical) changes in rents overall for the same types of units, not comparisons of the same units before and after the fires.

The majority of people pay less rent than before the wildfires, independently of whether they now have more, less or about the same income. Since more than half fire-affected households have to get by with less income than before the fires, rental assistance has buffered at least some of the effects of income losses on their livelihoods. But still, in the last few months, between 10% and 30% of people whose income is now lower or has remained roughly the same as before the fires now pay higher rents.

Around 30% of fire-affected households report rising rental costs despite moving to smaller units. Similarly, more than 20% of those who maintained the same number of bedrooms are also paying more in rent. On the other hand, about 70% of renters who now have more bedrooms pay less rent than before the fires, largely because of rental assistance.

Excluding fully subsidized rentals, how have the out-of-pocket rental costs of fire impacted people changed compared to before the wildfires?

When we exclude all rentals that are fully or almost fully covered by rental assistance, rents overall remain higher than before the wildfires for all unit sizes, although a downward trend has emerged, especially for one-bedroom units. This is important to monitor in order to track rent costs that more and more people may face as rental assistance programs will continue to wind down. Note that the data in this chart still includes units where some (but not all) of the rent is subsidized. For studios and one-bedroom units, rents are now about the same as before the wildfires. Two-bedroom units are about 25% more expensive (from about $1,600 before the fires to about $2,000, but down from a peak of about $2,800 in August 2024). Post-fire rent increases are most pronounced for larger units. Rents for three or more-bedroom units are more than 80% higher as before the wildfires (from $1400 to about $2700). Larger increases for bigger units may be driven by higher competition for units that can accommodate displaced multigenerational households. Prices may be pushed up because fewer large units are available for rent. That means larger families are most affected by rising rents due to housing shortages. Note that the reported numbers are median (typical) changes in rents overall for the same types of units, not comparisons of the same units before and after the fires.

For most people who do not receive full rental assistance, spiking rents are not met by rising incomes. When looking at rents that exclude fully subsidized units, about a quarter of people whose income has remained roughly the same as before the fires are now paying higher rents. Moreover, about 60% of the people who now have lower incomes have experienced rent increases. This means that many households have to make cuts in other areas. When fully subsidized units are included in the analysis, only about 5-25% of people are affected by increasing rental costs despite unchanged or decreased incomes. That suggests that ongoing rental assistance programs currently limit the rental burden of many fire-affected households.

Excluding fully subsidized units, more than half of respondents continue to face higher rental costs than before the wildfires for comparably sized units. While it is unsurprising that the majority of participants who now have more bedrooms are facing increased rental costs, even respondents who downsized to fewer bedrooms reported widespread rent increases that continue to affect more than half of this group. Out-of-pocket rents for units that are not fully subsidized remain about 35% higher for the same or fewer bedrooms compared to before the fires, but this has been trending downward.