It’s expensive to rent an apartment in WeHo, and it’s not getting any cheaper.
West Hollywood ranked 2nd on a list of the most expensive cities to rent in the Los Angeles metro area. The survey by Zumper, released this month, clocked the median West Hollywood rent at $2,890 for a one-bedroom unit.
Topping the list was the city of Santa Monica, where it costs an average of $2,920 to rent a place. Laguna Beach came in third, with $2,820.
Inglewood, Long Beach and Hawthorne were the least expensive cities on the list, with median rents all below $1,800.
Rents overall have increased 20 percent over last year, according to the survey.
Does anyone have the courage to ask, WHY? Everything thing has cause and effect.
I’m glad I live in this expensive town. I really don’t see the downside. Keeps the riffraff out (except to take their shopping and nightlife revenue) and makes it a nicer place to live.
Frank-are you saying that gay men who can’t afford to pay higher rent are “riff raff’ silly man!!
Rent needs a serious moratorium with no increases for 3-5 years! It simply outrageous for City Council to continually increase rent. Apparently, USA is in a slump and the more rents go up the worse homelessness and these dangerous ‘camps’ on public sidewalks are out of control. Disease and vermin are out of control. It really is quite simple, if the homeless can afford drugs, then there is a serious issue. ANYONE caught will illegal drugs and/or weapons goes to prison! Thank it not rocket science.
Where are homeless camps in West Hollywood?
You can thank high-end slumlord Monty for this.
We can blame City Council for this one. One of the worst decisions was allowing a vacated apartment to be set to “going rate” by the landlords instead of a nominal increase from what the previous tenant paid prior to moving out.
By the way, Rent Stabilization City Workers could care less. They cash six figure payroll checks and treat tenants like trash when engaging with residents!
Ok boomer
ok under achiever.
You don’t even like here lol
Your generation ruined the economy. And I’d still put my resume up against yours any day. I’d love to meet up at Starbucks but your boomer hangout closed.
I bet you lived in a heavily mortgaged condo on kings rd before you decided to start commenting on issues in a city you don’t even live in. Sad.
Vacancy decontrol (allows landlord to set the rent to market after a vacancy) is a result of the legislature’s passage of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act passed in 1995. The City of West Hollywood was and remains a staunch opponent of Costa-Hawkins and continues to be a leader among municipalities in the state in their efforts to protect tenants.
Certainly agree with your assessment that is accurate. A few rent stabilization even called out my private conversation and aired it publicly at a resident rent stabilization housing workshop! Said I complained with those ambivalent who conducted the meeting about resident situations whether landlord or neighbor(s) or construction or noise or rent price gouging and market rate increase grievances. Don’t embarrass and humiliate residents in the process all while rents increase in the city-at-large!
…and HIGHEST crime with Far Left George Soros anarchist flunkies running the City Council. Stand up, Miss Buffalo and the that witch that is running for County Sup, and the other flunky Da MickyMouse.
KOOK-a-doodle-DOOOOOO!
Could you try that again, please? My Gibberish-to-English phrasebook is missing.
What we need is more section8 housing to scatter some people. Then rents will come down and be more affordable. Simple really.
A lot of the available housing inventory is taken away by Airbnb and illegal Airbnb in West Hollywood and other surrounding cities. When hundreds of apartment units are not leased long term but only for Airbnb then that is where the loss of available housing happens.
Do you have data/studies to back these claims?
Rent control exacerbates the problem by keeping people in their units and not freeing up inventory like in a fair market to where rent levels would normalize. Usually people would upgrade or move closer to work or move in with a significant other, but rent control chains them to their unit with artificially low rent. Others are left to “pick up the slack” by paying market level rent. And keep in mind that rent control is not needs based. There are many tenants making well over six figures living in their below market rent apartment, buying new cars and living… Read more »
Rent control can certainly push up prices of new leases, but it’s totally worth it for the stability that it provides renters long-term. Not having to play musical chairs with new apartments every time your lease is up is a godsend in any city. My friends who live in Seattle, where rent control is banned, go through hell with this. It’s much better to pay a potentially higher price up front and then have a sense of certainty with your life. Besides, don’t forget that the City of West Hollywood was created to ensure rent control. It’s in our DNA… Read more »
Rent Stabilization Ordinances in California that exist today, post Costa-Hawkins (allowing vacancy decontrol) have no causal effect on surrounding rental rates. California law allows for an owner of any rent stabilized building “a just and reasonable return” on their property meaning that they almost guaranteed to profit from a fully leased building. The high cost of housing is a complicated issue primarily fueled by a lack of housing supply and high demand.
Do not conflate subsidized inclusionary units with rent stabilized units – they are not the same.
So, someone that invests their capital, dollars in case you don’t understand the concept, should suffer a loss? This is not how real estate works. Why do you think all of the homeless apartments proposed by LA City are going for $600,000 PLUS? No one is going to build for less than the cost of goods, labor, real estate, etc.. Would you?
“There are many tenants making well over six figures living in their below market rent apartment, buying new cars and living well”
Do you have any evidence of this?
Absolutely correct everyone I know in rent control is making over 6 figures
Okay thanks for the anecdote.
And I know people whose rent takes up nearly all of their Social Security check. There are real people who depend on rent control in order to live in a safe and affirming community.
This is one thing I agree with Steve Martin about.
If you get elected, what are you going to do about the messy Rent Stabilization in our city?
Furthermore, what are your thoughts on the exuberant income of WeHo City employees? They are way beyond the national average for comparable jobs?
If all the rent controlled tenants you know are making six figures, then you don’t know many people in this town.
The same principle applies with Prop 13 and property taxes for those who have owned houses for years. Both of these are partly to blame for LA traffic. Keep in mind though that those who are able to buy or rent at whatever year will also be the ones who in some number of years will be the “lucky ones”.
Thanks David; Landlords have the benefit of Prop. 13 too.
You really need to review the history of West Hollywood and why the city incorporated to understand the need for rent control here — then and now. In the ’70s, during the condo conversion craze, greedy property owners and developers redid their buildings to maximum gain, knowing full well the existing tenants, many of whom were seniors on fixed incomes, could not afford the inflated unit prices asked for the redeveloped condos. It was a lesson in basic capitalism and proved why it cannot exist unregulated. Residents fought back and managed to incorporate WeHo. One of the first laws it… Read more »
yep, everyone that I know living in rent controlled apts can afford to pay more, drive new cars, eat out everywhere almost every meal & live quite nicely here in WeHo.
You sound jealous.
Another person who must know only two people in town. I have lived in West Hollywood since 1985. Plenty of us here are barely making it and are staying because it’s home. That entitled idea that living in this city should be a high-priced privilege is counter-intuitive to its attraction. It is a city where young, old and everything in-between make it an exciting place to come to, live in and contribute extravagantly. Taking it even further away from an option for starving artists is to take away its draw. “Can afford to pay more”, indeed! Let them eat cake…
With just a few more mixed-use developments and private social clubs, we can make it to number one! Come on City Council, do what you do best and make things worse for WeHo residents.
Agreed! We need more towers now with units to buy or rent, not just social clubs and luxury hotels. This housing crisis could be alleviated if we invested in significantly taller buildings that weren’t resorts for the rich.
The rent is too damn high!
Some have to pay more for others who are subsidized. Hopefully your one of the lucky ones who can pay more.
you’re*
And I pay well over the average rent price for my unit, thank you!
Then don’t rent.