WILMINGTON, N.C. (WRMT) – For more than a year, an Airbnb guest has been squatting at a luxurious guest house and is refusing to leave unless the homeowner pays her a $100,000 relocation fee.
Elizabeth Hirschhorn, Airbnb guest, rented a long-term stay at Sascha Jovanovic’s Brentwood guest home in September 2021. According to court documents, her stay at the home was for six months, with each night costing $105 and total amount of $20,793.
In April 2022, her stay at the Airbnb ended, but Hirschhorn has been living there rent-free ever since.
According to the Los Angeles rent stabilization ordinance, a judge ruled that Jovanovic has no legal reason to evict her under the city’s recently adopted Just Cause Ordinance — and would be required to pay her a relocation fee to evict her.
“She’s the tenant from hell,” he said of Hirschhorn. “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.”
Hirschhorn’s attorneys argue that she should not pay rent and should be refunded the $20,793 because the city never approved the guest house for occupancy due to its shower being 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.
Hirschhorn then sent a complaint to a housing investigator, alleging illegal eviction, harassment, and a refusal to pay her relocation fees.
As both parties wait for their lawsuit and counter lawsuit cases to make their way through the court system, Hirschhorn is continuing to live on Jovanovic’s property.
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