The woman who’s been labeled across the internet as the “tenant from hell” for allegedly staying in her Southern California Airbnb rental for a year and a half without paying had previously squatted in an Oakland home for at least that long, according to court records.
Elizabeth Hirschhorn rented a long-term Airbnb from a wealthy periodontist on his estate in Los Angeles’ exclusive Brentwood neighborhood in 2021, according to the Los Angeles Times. But when her stay was over, she reportedly refused to move out and hasn’t paid rent in the more than 540 days since. According to a settlement offer viewed by the Times, she has offered to move for $100,000 in relocation money.
The story of her overstay and the landlord’s struggles to eject her have gone viral, with her landlord’s lawyer labeling her “the tenant from hell.” Their back-and-forth in court has caused the dispute to drag on.
According to court documents, Hirschhorn has been involved in at least one other similar incident — in a house in Oakland’s leafy Rockridge neighborhood.
According to Alameda County Superior Court records, Hirschhorn in 2019 moved into a Rockridge bungalow on 63rd Street that was rented to a primary tenant and owned by a family trust managed by Brian Bishop and Gordon Bishop. The story of the Oakland dispute, which involved a suit by the landlord seeking to evict Hirschhorn and her countersuit, was first reported by the Daily Mail.
In her October 2020 suit, Hirschhorn said she started subleasing a room in the house at an undisclosed date in 2019, though no rental agreement or lease was signed. In November 2019, she said, the homeowner sprayed an undisclosed substance she considered hazardous throughout the house. Hirschhorn said she is sensitive to chemical substances.
A dispute over cleanup developed, Hirschhorn said in her suit, and she was forced to move out in December. When she returned in February 2020, the house was still not cleaned to her satisfaction.
Brian Bishop says in his suit that Hirschhorn instructed the primary tenant, Alex Lewin, to “clean the premises in a very specific manner due to her hypersensitivity to allergens.”
Lewin made numerous attempts to clean the property in an acceptable manner, including hiring professional cleaners, Bishop said, but they weren’t acceptable to Hirschhorn.
In March 2020, Lewin ended his tenancy and moved out, citing a “hostile environment” and Hirschhorn’s “excessive demands,” according to Bishop’s lawsuit. But Hirschhorn remained without paying rent, according to Bishop’s suit, filed in August 2020. He sought to have her evicted, claiming she was trespassing and had no right to remain in the house.
The case was settled in July 2021, though court documents do not disclose the details. Neither Hirschhorn nor Bishop and his attorney responded to requests for comments.
Hirschhorn soon relocated to Southern California, moving into the guesthouse of a Brentwood mansion in September 2021 for a six-month stay that expired in March 2022 but was extended into April 2022, according to the Times.
The house’s owner says she’s been living there and refusing to pay rent or to move ever since. His efforts to have her removed have so far been unsuccessful.
Reach Michael Cabanatuan: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @ctuan
Read More:Alleged ‘tenant from hell’ also squatted in Oakland home, records show
2023-10-07 00:00:17