An Airbnb guest dubbed the “renter from hell” has been squatting in a luxury guest house overlooking the Los Angeles hills for more than a year and a half — and refuses to leave unless the homeowner pays him a $100,000 relocation fee.
Elizabeth Hirschhorn rented a long-term stay at Sascha Jovanovic’s Brentwood guest house in September 2021 for six months at a rate of $105 a night, with payments totaling $20,793, according to court documents.
But his Airbnb stay ended in April 2022, and Hirschhorn has been living there rent-free ever since.
A judge ruled that under the city’s rent stabilization ordinance, Jovanovic had no legal grounds to evict her under the Just Cause Ordinance adopted in Los Angeles — and would be required to pay relocation fees to evict her.
In an email to Jovanovic’s attorney obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Hirschhorn’s attorney, Amanda Seward, argued “$100,000 is [Jovanovic’s] the cheapest way to get the whole ordeal.”
“It’s a tenant’s house until the landlord gets a judgment, however displeasing your client may be.”
Hirschhorn’s attorney also argued he shouldn’t be paying rent — and instead should be reimbursed $20,793 — because the city never approved the guest house for occupancy, and his shower was built without a permit.
“The landlord is breaking the law and trying to make money by renting out illegal foreclosure units,” his attorney, Colin Walshok told the LA Times.
A judge ruled that Jovanovic had to pay Hirschhorn a transfer fee to get him deported.Instagram/@drsaschajovanovic
“After he was arrested, instead of doing the right thing, he resorted to bullying, harassment and filing frivolous lawsuits containing elaborate false stories, all in an effort to cover his tracks.”
But Jovanovic’s lawyer, Sebastian Rucci, disagreed.
“He’s the tenant from hell,” he said of Hirschhorn. “If he’s right, the theory is that if the landlord has something that isn’t allowed, then you can live in it rent-free forever.”
According to court documents obtained by the Times, Jovanovic and Hirschhorn were very friendly during the first few months she stayed at his guest house — exchanging words when their paths crossed and sharing tea and small talk on the deck that separates the main house from the Accessory. Residential Unit.
The problem apparently started about five months into Hirschhorn’s stay, when he complained his electronic blinds stopped working.
When Jovanovic went inside the unit to repair it, he noticed water damage and signs of mold around his sink, which he claims was not there before Hirschhorn moved in.
Elizabeth Hirschhorn rented a long-term stay at Sascha Jovanovic’s Brentwood guest house in September 2021 — renting it for six months at $105 a night, for a total of $20,793 in payments. Google Maps
He offered to pay her to stay in 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 stayed there, according to messages reviewed by the Times.
Jovanovic even offered Hirschhorn $1,500 to any other hotel, the messages and emails show, according to the Times.
But Hirschhorn refused, writing back: “I don’t feel safe having to evacuate with the housing handicap and the high risk of complications from COVID-19.” He cited LA County’s COVID-19 Tenant Protection Resolution and a 2011 doctor’s note about extreme chemical sensitivity.
Apparently still trying to calm Hirschhorn down, Jovanovic then offered him to stay at his house, but he turned that down as well, citing extreme disfigurement due to cat fur.
She now claims in a countersuit that Jovanovic “improperly invited” her to live with him.
Jovanovic claims Hirschhorn left water damage and signs of mold around her sink.Instagram/@drsaschajovovic
Tensions continued throughout her stay, and when it became clear Hirschhorn was not leaving or allowing any access inside the unit, Jovanovic reluctantly agreed she could stay until April 12 to give her time to find another place, according to emails in the complaint.
“He asked for more time, but I told him it wasn’t possible because I had another Airbnb reservation coming up,” Jovanovic told the Times. “But then I tried to be nice and give him a few extra weeks.”
When he still wouldn’t move, Jovanovic had to get the city’s housing department involved and file a motion to evict him.
Hirschhorn, in turn, contacted the city’s Department of Building Safety, which found two code violations in the unit — that it was not approved for occupancy and had an unauthorized shower.
She then sent a complaint to housing investigators, alleging illegal eviction, harassment and refusal to pay her relocation fee.
Housing investigators concluded that because the unit violated city code, Jovanovic had to withdraw her eviction notice until she could prove the guesthouse was in compliance.
But Jovanovic argued that when he tried to access the unit to make repairs, Hirschhorn wouldn’t let him in.
He was recently fined $660 for non-compliance.
Jovanovic is now suing Hirschhorn in two separate cases: a complaint for damages to recover $58,000 in rent paid, and an appeal of a judge’s decision to dismiss the eviction case.
Jovanovic was recently fined $660 by the city’s Department of Building Safety for not complying with building codes.Instagram/@drsaschajovovic
“It’s not about one decision, it’s about the whole foundation,” Rucci said. “If he’s right, you can rent an Airbnb for two days and refuse to leave on the third day, unless the host 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 violations of LA County COVID procedures.
She claims she knew about a possible mold problem before she moved in, and that he harassed and intimidated her into leaving the rental by doing unnecessary construction, putting rotting garbage bags outside her door, shutting off her hot water and illegally entering the unit.
While these cases were going through the court system, Hirschhorn continued to live at Jovanovic’s property.
“It’s like a war where no bullets fly,” he said. “Every time I open the door, I’m afraid he’ll leave at the same time.”
“The door is a few feet from my daughter’s bedroom,” Jovanovic said. “We don’t sleep well anymore.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
