Southern California's expensive housing market is going to get a lot more competitive after deadly firestorms torched more than 12,000 homes and other structures in the Los Angeles area, leaving tens of thousands of people without a place to stay.
Already there are reports of rent-gouging, prompting elected leaders to issue stern warnings against the practice and pleading with the public to report unethical property owners who hike up rents above the allotted 10 percent cap.