A woman in the US, who had stayed in a Los Angeles guesthouse uninvitedly for more than 600 days, has finally left. Elizabeth Hirschhorn, 55, was escorted out by the police from the $3.5 million property on Friday after living there for 575 rent-free days. She had initially booked a six-month stay at the property’s luxury guesthouse through Airbnb but continued to stay beyond the agreed term.
Landlord Sascha Jovanovic recounted that it was a chaotic situation when three men entered the guest house while he was filming with a news channel. He perceived it as a home invasion and called the police, only to find out later that the men were actually movers.
Ms Hirschhorn, who had rented the guesthouse for six months at $105 per night, later refused to vacate the premises and demanded $100,000 for relocation costs. She also reportedly prevented the landlord from entering the unit to address any necessary issues.
The guest house had not been licensed as a rental on Airbnb, and since Ms Hirschhorn had been living there for at least six months, the landlord was unable to evict her under Los Angeles’ “Just Cause” ordinance, which does not permit terminations of tenancies without just cause and requires relocation assistance for no-fault evictions.
Both parties had filed lawsuits against each other, and while the eviction case was dismissed upon the landlord’s lawyer’s request, the lawsuit regarding the damages against Ms Hirschhorn is still ongoing.
Expressing relief, the landlord stated that he is glad that Ms Hirschhorn is finally out and is looking forward to positive developments. The current status of Ms Hirschhorn’s living situation is uncertain, although the landlord has reportedly changed the locks on the property.
