Park La Brea is among the properties offering special incentives to those seeking to rent housing. (photo by Edwin Folven)

To provide relief to victims of the devastating wildfires in Southern California, many apartment and property owners are offering support and making special accommodations to ensure displaced people find housing.

The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles is offering a multitude of housing resources on its website at aagla.org, providing a centralized place for people seeking rental housing in Los Angeles. Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles executive director Daniel Yukelson said property owners throughout Los Angeles have stepped up to offer assistance.

“We launched a site [on Jan. 13] and we now have more than 1,000 listings. We’ve had an overwhelming response,” Yukelson said. “There’s lots of different incentives being offered. Property owners want to step in and help.”

Park La Brea, which has 4,250 units, is among the large properties offering special help to people affected by the wildfires. The complex at 6200 W. Third St. is owned and managed by Prime Residential, which is offering similar assistance at its properties from Oxnard to San Diego, totaling approximately 9,500 units.

“We are always looking for any opportunity to help our community. It’s important as a housing provider. Prime is very connected to the community at large,” said Aryn Thomez, vice president of property management for Park La Brea. “This is a great opportunity to support our community. We have already seen an uptick in people who are interested.”

Prime Residential is offering regular term leases with waived early termination fees for the first 12 months at Park La Brea and all of its Southern California properties. Also, Prime Residential is waiving application fees and pet deposits.

Thomez said the company is taking other steps to help. Employees are being offered time to volunteer so they can help in communities affected by the fires. Prime Residential is providing lunches and essential supplies to fire departments and emergency response teams and will be organizing food and clothing drives at its properties to support residents in need.

“We are looking holistically to do anything we possibly can,” Thomez added.

Other rental property owners in the area are taking steps to help people in the fire zones find housing. A spokeswoman for AIR Communities, which owns the Broadcast Center Apartments, Palazzo East Apartments, Palazzo West and Villas at Park La Brea, said they “will work” with anyone displaced in the areas affected by fire to find a unit in their properties.

Yukelson said he has received reports about price gouging, with significantly inflated rental rates. It is illegal for property owners to raise rental rates more than 10% during a state of emergency, which was declared in California regions affected by wildfire on Jan. 8. He added that the potential for price gouging emphasizes the importance of Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles’s list of available housing, as it includes legitimate owners offering to help.

“On our website, there are a lot of property owners offering discounts on security deposits and fees,” Yukelson said. “The big one is Park La Brea. Park La Brea is a longtime member.”

For information visit aagla.org and parklabrea.com.