Marin landlord charged with price-gouging after North Bay wildfires

A real estate agent who owned rental property in Novato has been charged with price-gouging in the aftermath of the North Bay fires.

Melissa Echeverria, who goes by the first name Missy, is accused of jacking up the monthly rate on her property in the days after Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Oct. 9.

State law forbids property owners from raising the rent more than 10 percent after such a declaration, not including extra costs the owners might have incurred for contractors and materials.

The prosecution alleges that Echeverria’s rental property, a six-bedroom home at 95 Blanca Drive, was available for $5,000 before the emergency proclamation. Afterward, she listed for rental for $9,000, then $7,000, then $5,800, according to the criminal complaint.

The state Attorney General’s Office filed three misdemeanor charges in Marin Superior Court. The Marin County District Attorney’s Office also participated in the investigation.

Echeverria, 54, did not respond to requests for comment about the charges. But in an interview with the Independent Journal in October, she denied wrongdoing.

Echeverria said the rental rate went up because she started including utility costs and furnishings in the price. Also, she said, the $9,000 price was listed erroneously and was supposed to be $7,000.

A few days later, the listed price dropped to $5,800 per month. Even at that price, the cost would exceed the 10-percent increase cap.

Each charge carries a potential one-year jail sentence and fines of up to $15,000.

Echeverria sold the property this month for about $1.1 million. The sales was recorded with the county on Monday.

The price-gouging case is the first in Marin related to the regional wildfires. More complaints are under review.

“We want those who suffered these devastating losses to know that we will do what we can to assure there will no Marin County-based individuals or businesses engaging in these price gouging practices,” District Attorney Ed Berberian said.

Sonoma County prosecutors have filed four criminal cases so far after receiving more than 220 complaints.

The October wildfires in Northern California killed 43 people and destroyed about 8,900 structures, including more than 5,600 structures in the Tubbs fire of Sonoma and Napa counties.

The governor’s emergency proclamation was set to expire Wednesday, but he extended it to Dec. 4.

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