High-Stakes Guest House Dispute Raises Eyebrows
By Dolores Quintana
Perched amidst the picturesque hills of Brentwood, there exists a community that shares its panoramic views with the iconic Getty Center, along with celebrity neighbors. It sits at 1235 North Tigertail Road and is an eminently desirable place to live.
Neighbors have been discussing the unconventional resident dwelling in a guest house, and the discussion is anything but discreet. Debbie Berman, a neighbor, stated, “My husband was outside yesterday, and this guy passing by said, ‘Do you know you’re living next door to a squatter?!'” as quoted by ABC News.
Periodontist Aleksandar “Sascha” Jovanovic bought his home in 1995. Over the years, he invested in extensive renovations. In 2019, he decided to make the guest house available for rent on Airbnb.
It was through this Airbnb rental that Jovanovic made the acquaintance of Elizabeth Hirschhorn, the person currently living in the home without paying rent for 540 days as of April 2022. The guest house on the property where the guest is living was not okayed for occupancy by the City and is in violation of city building regulations, which has complicated matters. The additional issue is that the owner extended the stay past the original end date. This caused Airbnb to decline to address the matter further.
In a candid statement to Eyewitness News, Jovanovic expressed his intention to bring his story to public attention: “To live in a nightmare like this and not feel protected by the city, not feel protected by the police is a terrible feeling. And it’s something I don’t want anybody to go through.”
It will be up to a judge to decide whether or not and when the owner can evict this renter.
