An Airbnb guest has been residing in a fancy Los Angeles property for more than a year and refuses to leave unless the landlord pays her a $100,000 moving fee, according to the Los Angeles Times.
According to the publication, Elizabeth Hirschhorn rented the property from Aleksandar Jovanovic, a globally renowned periodontist, in September 2021. According to court filings, she rented the residence for six months at a rate of $105 per night, with fees totaling $20,793. Her stay, however, expired in April 2022, and she has been living there rent-free ever since. Mr. Jovanovic is concerned about his and his family’s safety.
“I can never go into my home and know that I’m safe when a potentially hostile person is living there,” the landlord told The Los Angeles Times. “I’m thinking about it at all times.”
A judge recently ordered that the squatter can remain in the house for as long as she wants.
Legal battle over unlawful rental of Los Angeles guest house takes a heated turn
Mr. Jovanovic is having difficulty evicting the tenant because his guest house was not supposed to be rented. He rented the house without obtaining a certificate of occupancy or registering it properly. It also includes an illegally fitted shower in the unit.
Ms Hirschhorn’s attorney in an email told LA Times argued that “$100,000 is [Jovanovic’s] cheapest way of getting off the whole ordeal.”
“It is the home of the tenant until the landlord gets a judgment, however distasteful that is to your client.”
“The landlord broke the law and tried to make money by renting out an illegal bootleg unit,” her attorney, Colin Walshok told the LA Times.
“After he was caught, instead of doing the right thing, he has resorted to bullying, harassment, and the filing of frivolous lawsuits containing elaborate false stories, all in an attempt to cover his tracks.”
Mr Jovanovic’s lawyer Sebastian Rucci said that she’s the tenant from hell. “If she’s right, the theory is that if a landlord has something that isn’t permitted, then you can stay in it rent-free forever.”
Mr. Jovanovic told the Los Angeles Times that the early days were good. When their paths crossed, they greeted pleasantries and had tea and light talk on the deck that separates the main house and the ADU.
Dispute escalates over Airbnb guest’s extended stay in Los Angeles property
The stress began approximately five months in, according to the lawsuit, when Hirschhorn claimed her electric blinds stopped operating. Mr. Jovanovic went in to repair them and discovered water damage and traces of mold around the sink, which he said weren’t there before her stay.
He offered to pay for her hotel stay for five days, but she declined. He even invited her to stay at his house, but she declined, claiming a severe impairment caused by cat dander. In a countersuit, she claims he “inappropriately invited” her to move in with him.
The tension persisted till the end of her tenure in March 2022. When Mr. Jovanovic realized she wasn’t going anywhere, he let her stay until April 12 so she could find another place.
“She asked for more time, but I told her it wasn’t possible since I had other Airbnb reservations coming up,” he said. “But then I tried to be nice and give her an extra few weeks.”
Because she refused to move, Mr. Jovanovic contacted the city’s Department of Building Safety. She subsequently filed a housing investigator complaint, citing wrongful eviction, harassment, and a failure to pay her relocation fees.
According to the housing investigator, the unit breached city laws. Mr. Jovanovic should also remove his eviction notice until he can demonstrate that the guest house was in compliance.