Sascha Jovanovic desperate attempt to evict Elizabeth Hirschhorn, ‘tenant from hell’. Airbnb guest squatting Los Angeles guest house for 540 days demands $100K payout before agreeing to leave ‘illegal’ Brentwood structure.
Define hijacked? An Airbnb guest since dubbed the ‘tenant from hell’ has been squatting a luxury guest house in Los Angeles for more than a year (540 days) without paying her host landlord along with refusing to move out unless the homeowner pays her a $100K relocation fee.
Elizabeth Hirschhorn rented a long-term stay at Sascha Jovanovic’s Brentwood guest home (on the same plot as the host’s own mansion residence) in September 2021 for six months at a rate of $105 a night, with fees bringing the total to $20,793, according to court documents the landlord filed in a bid to evict the woman from the property.
Hirschhorn’s Airbnb stay ended in April 2022, with the California woman refusing to leave and living at the residence rent-free ever since. A state of affairs sanctioned by the city after a judge ruled that the rental was illegal after the landlord failing to make necessary adjustments prior to letting out the structure.
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Illegal bootleg apartment
A judge ruled that under the city’s rent stabilization ordinance, Jovanovic — a successful California dentist — has no legal reason to evict her under Los Angeles’ recently adopted Just Cause Ordinance — and would be required to pay her a relocation fee to evict her.
In an email to Jovanovic’s lawyer obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Hirschhorn’s attorney, Amanda Seward, argued ‘$100,000 is [Jovanovic’s] cheapest way of getting of the whole ordeal.’
‘It is the home of the tenant until the landlord gets a judgment, however distasteful that is to your client.’
Hirschhorn’s attorneys also argue she should not pay rent — and should instead be paid back the $20,793 —because the city never approved the guest house for occupancy, and its shower was constructed without a permit.
‘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.
Adding, ‘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.’
The guest house was not officially registered along with it having no certificate of occupancy.
Jovanovic in turn, offered to pay Hirschhorn’s stay at a hotel for five days while his contractor handled the repairs — either the Santa Monica Hilton or the Sure Stay Best Western in Santa Monica, noting that many of his visiting doctors stay there, according to messages reviewed by the Times.
Jovanovic even offered Hirschhorn $1,500 toward any other hotel, the messages and emails show, according to the Times.
But Hirschhorn declined, writing back: ‘I don’t feel safe being forced to vacate with a housing disability and the high risks of COVID-19 complications.’ She cited the LA County’s COVID-19 Tenant Protections Resolution and a 2011 doctor’s note about extreme chemical sensitivities.
Playing for time (and free rent)
In a desperate attempt to appeal to Hirschhorn’s good will, Jovanovic offered the woman to stay in his home, which the Airbnb guest declined as well, citing an extreme disability due to cat dander.
Yes kids, you see where this is going. Straight to hell.
In a countersuit, Hirschhorn claims Jovanovic ‘inappropriately invited’ her to move in with him.
Tensions continued through the rest of her stay, and when it became clear Hirschhorn was not leaving or allowing any access inside the unit, Jovanovic reluctantly agreed she could stay through April 12 to give her time to find another place, according to an email in his complaint.
‘She asked for more time, but I told her it wasn’t possible since I had other Airbnb reservations coming up,’ Jovanovic told the Times. ‘But then I tried to be nice and give her an extra few weeks.’
City violations
When Hirschhorn still wouldn’t move, Jovanovic resorted to getting the city housing department involved and filing motions to evict her.
Hirschhorn, in turn, reached out to the city’s Department of Building Safety, which found two code violations at the unit — that it was unapproved for occupancy and had an un-permitted shower.
But there was more.
She then sent a complaint to a housing investigator, alleging illegal eviction, harassment and a refusal to pay her relocation fees.
The housing investigator concluded that because the unit violated city codes, Jovanovic had to withdraw his eviction notices until he could prove the guest house was in compliance.
But Jovanovic argues that when he tried to access the unit to make the repairs, Hirschhorn would not let him inside.
He was recently fined $660 for not complying.
Jovanovic is now suing Hirschhorn in two different cases: a damages complaint to recoup $58,000 in unpaid rent, and an appeal of the judge’s decision to dismiss the eviction case.
‘This isn’t about one ruling, it’s about the entire foundation,’ Rucci argued. ‘If she’s right, you can rent an Airbnb for two days and refuse to leave on the third, unless the landlord pays you to leave.’
But Hirschhorn filed a countersuit in August, accusing Jovanovic of 15 violations — including negligence, nuisance, intentional infliction of emotional distress, unlawful business practices and a violation of the LA County COVID procedures.
Yes kids, hell is very warm and hot.
Hirschhorn claims he knew about the potential mold problem before she moved in, and that he harassed and intimidated her to leave the rental by doing unnecessary construction, placing rotting bags of trash outside her door, shutting off her hot water and unlawfully entering the unit.
As the cases make their way through the court system, Hirschhorn is continuing to live on Jovanovic’s property.
‘It’s like a war where no bullets are flying,’ he said. ‘Every time I open the door, I’m afraid she’ll be leaving at the same time.’
‘Her door is a few feet from my daughter’s bedroom,’ Jovanovic noted. ‘We don’t sleep well anymore.’
Does anyone ever sleep well in hell?
