- Airbnb guests at a California condo have refused to leave
- The now-unwanted guests have tenant rights under California law
- Condo owner's initial appeals to Airbnb met with no success
- Owner has since hired lawyer and received assistance from Airbnb
(CNN) -- If the old saw about houseguests being like fish is true -- after a few days they begin to stink -- imagine what it must smell like in poor Cory Tschogl's 600-square-foot condo in Palm Springs, California.
Tschogl entered into an agreement through the popular Internet site Airbnb to host a man and his brother for a 44-day period from May 25 through July 8. (Airbnb connects travelers looking for low-cost accommodations with locals who in turn rent them rooms in their homes.)
The man, identified in various reports as Maksym Pashanin and whose Airbnb "verified ID" says he's from Austin, Texas, paid for the first 30 days in advance.
He and his brother moved in, but after 30 days they refused to pay out the balance of their account.
What's more, upon the July end of their rental agreement, they simply refused to leave the condo.
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Squatters protected under California law
So, if unwanted strangers won't leave, just call authorities and have them booted out, right?
That's where Tschogl's nightmare really begins.
In California, renters who occupy a property for more than 30 consecutive days are considered full-time tenants on a month-to-month lease with rights to occupancy protected under the state's tenant law.
