Back in September 2021, periodontist Aleksandar “Sascha” Jovanovic put his home on Airbnb and rented it out to a tenant named Elizabeth Hirschhorn. But upon writing this article, she has yet to depart.
This property is nestled amongst houses owned by the likes of LeBron James and singer Fergie. Jovanovic purchased the property back in 1995 and took over a year to renovate the property. In 2019, Jovanovic made the decision to list the guest house on Airbnb.
In 2021, he rented the small guest house to Ms. Hirschhorn back in September for a total of six months for just over $20,000. After four months of her stay, the relationship soured between Jovanovic and Hirschhorn.
When the Airbnb host, Mr. Jovanovic, checked on the guest house, he found that a number of areas needed repair that were not there when the guest arrived. He suggested that she stay in a hotel, and he offered some money towards the cost according to messages exchanged on the platform. He then offered that she could stay in his home whilst repairs were carried out.
Since the stay of Ms. Hirschhorn was due to end in March, Mr. Jovanovic’s downfall came after he extended her stay until she found somewhere else to live. At this point, Airbnb’s liabilities ended.
When the end of the extended stay came to an end in April, she did not depart. Since Mr. Jovanovic rented out his main house, this wasn’t compliant with building safety regulations.
Jovanovic, in his frustration and desperation, has chosen to go public with his predicament in hopes of raising awareness and preventing others from enduring similar ordeals. In the end, it falls to a judge to determine the outcome of this contentious dispute.
Beware Hosts, ensure you keep all your conversation inside the Airbnb platform and keep payments on the platform. As when things go wrong, they will have you covered.
