Poor Justin Bieber has an expensive plumbing problem on his hands. After making headlines last year for signing a lease on a 6,000-square-foot home for a whopping $100,000 per month, the bushy haired Canadian pop star and his wife, Hailey Baldwin, are reportedly making a swift exit.
According to TMZ, the couple were forced to leave their pricey San Fernando Valley pad after a slew of issues with the property arose. Shortly after the newlyweds moved into the four-bedroom, seven-bathroom home in October 2018, the pool heater broke. Next came problems with the air conditioning. The final straw? A burst pipe—every renter’s worst nightmare.
But Bieber and Baldwin are hardly wasting time waiting for a plumber! Thanks to their month-to-month lease agreement, they quickly moved out and are already on the prowl for a new love nest. They have been spotted checking out other houses around the Southern California area, including the home where Demi Lovato OD’d.
Until they find their dream home, they are shacking up in the Montage Beverly Hills hotel. And if that rental seemed pricey, consider that a luxury suite at the Montage can cost up to $9,000 per night!
So we can’t help but wonder: Is their landlord legally obligated to pay for their hotel? Plus, is it even legal for the couple to just up and leave the abode in the middle of their lease? Here’s what to know about their legal situation—and whether Bieber or his landlord will be saying, “Sorry.”
Inside Justin Bieber’s $100K monthly rental debacle
A burst pipe is no joke—the extreme gush of water can flood basements, ruin drywall, and cause thousands of dollars in damage. Because of this, Bieber and Baldwin may be living the “suite” life for a while, says Bryan Zuetel, a broker at Esquire Real Estate and managing attorney of Zuetel Law Group in Irvine, CA.
“Mr. Bieber may be out of the property for a few months if plumbing, repiping, or significant air-conditioning repairs are required,” he says.
However, Bieber shouldn’t bank on his landlord footing the bill to put them up while the repairs are being done. The city of Los Angeles requires landlords to pay displaced tenants’ hotel bills only if those tenants live in rent-controlled units.
“It does not appear to be applicable here because Justin Bieber was apparently leasing a single-family home, which is generally exempt from the Los Angeles rent control requirements,” Zuetel says.
What Bieber’s landlord is responsible for is providing “a safe and habitable rental property.” More specifically, his landlord must provide a home that has effective waterproofing, unbroken windows and doors, and working plumbing. But if some thing breaks the landlord must repair it in a timely manner. If the damages aren’t fixed, Bieber has the right to withhold rent until the repairs are complete or even terminate the lease agreement, according to Zuetel.
Will Bieber face legal repercussions for moving out?
It sounds like this won’t be too much of a messy situation—save for any soggy interiors that might have been caused by that burst pipe. Although Bieber has made a number of real estate blunders in the past (who can forget when he was charged with vandalism for egging his neighbor’s house?), it looks like he’s learned a thing or two during his time as a serial renter. The singer was smart enough to sign a month-to-month deal, so there’s no worry the landlord will go after him for skipping out on his lease.
As long as Bieber and Baldwin paid this month’s rent, they’re free to pick up and move on. No harm, no foul—and more importantly, no penalty.
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