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Airbnb renter refuses to leave LA home after 540 DAYS as judge backs her efforts to stay in Brentwood Hills mansion
A successful LA dentist had his $3.8million home hijacked by an Airbnb guest who simply refused to leave
The nightmare tenant overstayed her welcome by 540 days without paying
An LA judge ruled that the homeowner has no reason to evict the squatter and dismissed the legal complaints
By MARTHA WILLIAMS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:26 EDT, 4 October 2023 | UPDATED: 11:31 EDT, 4 October 2023
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An Airbnb host had his $3.8million California mansion hijacked by a guest who refuses to leave after spending more than 540 days in the home unless she is paid $100,000.
Sascha Jovanovic rented the guesthouse of his Brentwood mansion out on Airbnb in September 2021 to Elizabeth Hirschhorn, and his guest has long overstayed her welcome after 540 days of living rent-free.
Hirschhorn, the accused house guest from hell, stopped paying for her stay in April 2022 but has simply refused to move out of the property and has been living rent-free in Jovanovic's plush palace ever since.
The dispute has become the center of an ongoing lawsuit as Jovanovic looks to boot the squatter, but an LA judge has ruled he has no grounds to evict the squatter.
The periodontics dentist said he feels scared in his own home. He told the LA Times 'I can never go into my home and know that I’m safe when a potentially hostile person is living there, I’m thinking about it at all times.'
Colin Walshok, Hirschhorn's lawyers, claims she shouldn't have to pay rent because city officials never approved the guesthouse for occupancy and its shower was constructed without a permit.
Walshok told the LA Times: 'The landlord broke the law and tried to make money by renting out an illegal bootleg unit.
'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 luxury hillside haven is on a .33 acre lot, 2,954 square feet of property, panoramic views of Los Angeles and a pool.
Jovanovic, a 'global dental expert,' bought his Los Angeles home in 1995 for $750,000 and lived there since. In 2009 he had the main house rebuilt with he addition of a guesthouse.
The guesthouse was completed with a kitchenette, bathroom, bedroom and floor-to-ceiling sliding doors that 'open up to nature with panoramic views of the ocean, canyon and city lights', according to court documents.
After using the guesthouse as a playroom for his two children when they were growing up, he decided to list it on Airbnb for short-term guests in 2019.
The guesthouse was listed as 'Modern Studio with stunning 360 ocean/city views' and priced at $215 a night.
According to court documents, Jovanovic approved a six-month stay for Hirschhorn from September 13, 2021 to March 19, 2022 - a total of 187 nights - for $105 a night and $19,833 total. She extended her stay by 24 additional days with an end date of April 12.
Things turned hostile when Jovanovic went to fix the electronic blinds in his guesthouse after receiving a complaint from Hirschhorn. When he was inside the property, he noticed there was mold and water damage around the sink, which he claimed were not there before her stay.
Jovanovic offered to pay for a hotel for her to stay in while he fixed the damages, but she refused and said, 'I don’t feel safe being forced to vacate with a housing disability and the high risks of COVID-19 complications.'
She also cited LA County's COVID-19 regulations at the time as well as a medical note proving she had chemical sensitivities.
After her refusal, Jovanovic offered her a stay in his own home - which she also declined because of her sensitivities to cats. Now, Herschhorn is counter-suing her host she has claimed that he 'inappropriately invited' her to move into his house with him, according to the LA times.
When it became clear that Herschhorn wasn't leaving, the dentist sent her an email saying: 'You have no reservation after April 12 and I’ll consider you a trespasser of my property. After this date, I will use my legal rights to remove you from my property.'
Herschhorn never moved out of the guesthouse.
When the lawsuit was filed against Hirschhorn in 2023 she had overstayed by 408 days and she is still living there now 'willfully, intentionally and deliberately' but without permission from the home-owner.
Jovanovic and his lawyer, Sebastian Rucci, filed four complaints against Hirschhorn.
The first complaint was a breach of lease, which was because she overstayed her Airbnb rental period by 408 days.
The second was for damages for unjust enrichment because the houseguest was unjustly enriched by her free stay at the expense of Jovanovic who lost money because of her commanding the guesthouse - a source of income for the homeowner.
There was a complaint of negligence because Jovanovic was unable to repair damages in the guesthouse as Hirschhorn refused him entry to his guesthouse.
The final complaint was trespass to real property simply because he was entitled to the return of his own property after the agreed Airbnb stay was over.
The judge granted a request from Hirschhorn's team to dismiss the complaints on the grounds that there's no legal basis for the lawsuit.
Hirschhorn and Jovanovic are now living just steps away from each other as enemies and neighbors.
They argued like neighbors over mail and loud music and Jovanovic said his family doesn't sleep well anymore because his stubborn house- guest's door is a few feet away from his daughter's bedroom.
He told LA Times: 'Psychologically, it affects you. It never leaves my mind.'
The dentist can't evict her from his property because she qualified for LA's recently adopted Just Cause Ordinance after staying the unit for over six months. The new legislation requires landlord's to have a legal reason to evict tenants.
Since the Brentwood mansion is not approved for occupancy Hirschhorn argued she shouldn't pay rent and that she is actually owed for all the rent she did pay during the first stint of her stay.
Walshok said in the lawsuit against Jovanovic: 'As the unit did not have a certificate of occupancy, the maximum allowable rent for the unit was $0.00.'
A judge has ruled that Jovanovic has no legal reason to evict her under the city's rent stabilization ordinance.
Up until his nightmare occupier, Jovanovic had received consistent five-star reviews and glowing recommendations from guests.
Addison - a guest from February 2021 - said: 'I am grateful to Alex for sharing his pieces of paradise and making it accessible for guests. I woke up with the sunrise each morning and sunsets each night. I will not forget this experience and how transformative it has been over the past month. Alex goes above and beyond, is easily accessible yet allows your complete privacy.'
Jovanovic is hoping to finally evict Hirschhorn so he can return the guesthouse to his adolescent children: 'It would be a fantastic day for my family. The space will turn back into a happy room.'
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