News/Commentary

Airbnb squatter remains in dentist’s California mansion for 540 DAYS, demands $100,000 ‘relocation fee’

October 5, 2023 | | Print Article

A wealthy California dentist listed the guesthouse of his Brentwood mansion on Airbnb, and, 540-plus days later, the renter refuses to leave, hasn’t paid rent, and, according to a judge, under the city’s rent stabilization ordinance, there’s no legal reason to evict her.

Sascha Jovanovic rented his guesthouse to Elizabeth Hirschhorn, the Los Angeles Times reports. She should have been gone in April 2022.

Hirschhorn insists she will continue living there rent-free until Jovanovic pays her a $100,000 relocation fee, a settlement offer reviewed by The Times reveals.

Now Jovanovic says he’s afraid to walk to his car.

“I can never go into my home and know that I’m safe when a potentially hostile person is living there,” he told The Times. “I’m thinking about it at all times.”

According to Hirschhorn’s lawyer, Colin Walshok, his client didn’t have to pay rent because the guesthouse had never received the city’s approval to use it for occupancy. What’s more, the shower in the guesthouse was built without a permit.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The landlord broke the law and tried to make money by renting out an illegal bootleg unit,” Walshok said. “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 attempt to cover his tracks.”

Jovanovic had, for two years, been receiving five-star reviews for his small guesthouse on Airbnb, The Times reports. He agreed in September 2021 to allow Hirshhorn to rent the unit for six months, to the tune of $105 per night.

With fees, Hirshhorn’s 187-night stay would cost a total of $20,793.

“I tried to be a kind host,” Jovanovic said. “I had no idea she would become what she has become.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Five months into Hirshhorn’s stay, the trouble began — first with faulty electronic blinds. then with previously undetected water damage and signs of mold.

“The back-and-forth lasted through the end of Hirschhorn’s Airbnb stay on March 19, 2022,” The Times reports. “When it was clear she wasn’t leaving, or allowing any access inside, the two informally agreed that she could stay until April 12 so she could find another place, according to an email cited in Jovanovic’s complaint.”

Emails show that Jovanovic attempted to be as accommodating as possible, even offering her $2,000 to help her move. But by extending the lease beyond the original move-out date of March 19, the dentist gave Airbnb an excuse to bail on the matter.

“The company sent an email to Jovanovic acknowledging that Hirschhorn was staying past the date she booked, and recommended that he contact local law enforcement to remove her from the property,” according to The Times. “Airbnb has since deleted Hirschhorn’s account, The Times confirmed from the company, but said that because the stay was extended off the platform, it’s a third-party matter that doesn’t involve the company.”

Meanwhile, Hirshhorn was busy making her case.

ADVERTISEMENT

According to The Times:

Hirschhorn in the meantime reached out to the city’s Department of Building and Safety, which found the two code violations in the ADU: that it wasn’t approved for occupancy, and it had an unpermitted shower. She then sent a complaint to Gonzalez, the housing investigator, alleging illegal eviction, harassment and nonpayment of relocation fees. Gonzalez concluded that because the unit violated city codes, Jovanovic had to withdraw his eviction notices until he could prove that the unit was in compliance.

According to his complaint, Jovanovic tried accessing the unit to obtain the necessary permits and make repairs, but it was too late; Hirschhorn wouldn’t allow him inside. The unit is still out of compliance to this day, and last month, the Department of Building and Safety sent him a $660 fee for not complying.

 

“Because she stayed in the unit for six months, [Hirshhorn] qualified for L.A.’s recently adopted Just Cause Ordinance. It requires a landlord to have a legal reason to evict her, and if there is no legal reason, the landlord is required to pay for relocation assistance for the tenant,” The Times explains. “And since the unit still isn’t approved for occupancy, Hirschhorn’s legal argument is that she shouldn’t pay rent — and that she’s owed all the rent she paid during her original stay. So she stopped paying.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Pedro Gonzalez, an investigator with the city’s housing department, “also concluded that the unit is subject to L.A.’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, giving Hirschhorn much stronger tenant protections,” the outlet reports.

“She’s the tenant from hell,” Jovanovic’s attorney, Sebastian Rucci, said. “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.”

Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles