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'Tenant from hell!' California Airbnb guest stays for 540 days, demands $100K to vacate
A California Airbnb property owner is facing serious trouble as his tenant refuses to vacate
An Airbnb guest has been making headlines lately after gaining notoriety for hijacking a Brentwood, California property. Elizabeth Hirschhorn became a long-term tenant at homeowner Sascha Jovanovic's $3.8 million guesthouse in September 2021. What started out as a normal lease agreement between a host and a tenant turned ugly after Elizabeth refused to vacate after the lease ended.
Elizabeth, who has been dubbed “tenant from hell” refused to pay rent citing code violations. The 61-year-old renowned dentist offered to pay for her temporary residence and promised to fix the issues. But, it was of no use as she denied moving elsewhere due to Covid-19 health scares and her sensitivity to harsh chemicals.
How did the dispute escalate?
When Sascha tried to evict Elizabeth, she resisted and the city investigator sided with her. According to the city investigator, Sascha could not file any eviction notices until he proved that the property was compliant and safe to reside in. Adding to the list of misfortunes on Sascha's part, Airbnb removed itself calling the matter, a third-party situation due to the extension of her stay outside the platform's jurisdiction.
The woman entirely stopped paying rent and filed a complaint against Sascha on grounds of harassment, illegal eviction, and nonpayment of relocation fees, as per The Mirror. Elizabeth stated in her settlement offer that she would leave after being paid $100,000 as per the sources.
Sascha says ‘I tried to be a good host’
The grief-stricken dentist and property owner said, “I tried to be a kind host. I had no idea she would become what she has become.” He added, “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.” Further shining light on how the situation had affected him, the homeowner said, “Psychologically, it affects you. It never leaves my mind.”
Meanwhile, his attorney Sebastian Rucci claimed Elizabeth was taking advantage of the situation calling her the “tenant from hell.” Sebastian further noted, “If you want people to open their doors to tenants, don’t allow someone to do something like this.” “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.”
Tenant's lawyer accuses host of renting out illegal unit
Elizabeth's lawyer, Rick Walshok accused the Brentwood dentist of renting out “an illegal bootleg unit” with code violations, due to which, she was not liable to pay any rent. Rick also claimed that Sascha was applying bullying tactics and was harassing her. He went on to say, “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 an attempt to cover his tracks.”
As the case is ongoing, the situation remains unsolved as of yet, causing stress on both parties involved.
