Price-gouging apartments nailed by County DA

The owner of a Santa Rosa apartment complex guilty of jacking up rents after the 2017 wildfires must pay $45,000 in penalties.

FG Meadows, LLC, the owner and operator of the Meadows at Fountaingrove Apartments, admitted to price gouging.

In addition to repaying tenants for what they were illegally overcharged during the state’s Declaration of Emergency, the corporation must pay $40,000 in civil penalties, and $5,000 in investigative costs to the District Attorney’s Office.

Currently, the declaration remains in effect at least through July 21, 2019 in Sonoma County. Additional restrictions may apply under the City of Santa Rosa’s declaration. The local agencies are required to review the need for continuing the local emergency once every 60 days.

“This case is part of the ongoing efforts of my office to ensure that victims of the fire and residents are not further victimized by landlords taking advantage of the challenging rental market in Sonoma County after the loss of over 5,000 homes in our community from the devastating wild fires,” said District Attorney Ravitch.

Residents are encourage to report cases of suspected price gouging to their local law enforcement agency who will refer verified cases to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, she advised.