Letting someone stay in a spare room for a few days can turn into a legal problem if the person later refuses to leave and claims a right to remain in the home.
A new Hulu docuseries has brought that risk back into the spotlight through the story of Ellie Mae McNulty, an alleged Malibu “serial squatter” accused by several residents of moving into homes and refusing to leave. The allegations are featured in Squatters: Get the F*** Out of My House, a six-part series from ABC News Studios and executive producers Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.
People reported that the Malibu episode features Jason Gurvitz, who said he and a roommate rented a spare bedroom to McNulty before the arrangement turned into a long dispute. Vanity Fair previously reported on allegations involving Alden Marin, a Malibu artist and stage IV cancer patient who said he allowed McNulty to stay at his home after she told him she needed a place for only a few days.
McNulty has disputed some allegations reported by Vanity Fair, and the claims in the docuseries should not be treated as court findings unless a court record says so. The homeowner risk is still practical: a casual stay, spare-room rental, guesthouse arrangement, or temporary favor should not begin with only a verbal promise and a handed-over key.
The Malibu Allegations Started With Short-Term Stays
Vanity Fair reported that Marin met McNulty in 2021 and later let her stay at his Malibu condo. According to the magazine, Marin’s family claimed the stay stretched beyond the original understanding, led to conflict inside the home, and ended only after court action.
People reported that Gurvitz’s account appears in episode two of the Hulu series, titled “The Parasite of Malibu.” He said the spare-room arrangement began like a rental, then deteriorated when McNulty allegedly refused to leave, argued over payment, and created a situation that he believed could take months and thousands of dollars to resolve through the normal eviction process.
Those accounts involve allegations, disputed claims, and individual facts. They should not be used to suggest every guest becomes a squatter or every tenant protection is abusive. They do show why homeowners should treat spare rooms, guesthouses, vacation homes, detached units, and longer stays as legal arrangements before problems start.
California Evictions Must Go Through Court
California Courts says residential eviction cases are called unlawful detainers. If a person does not leave after proper notice, the landlord may need to file a court case and follow the formal process.
California law also creates risk for homeowners who try to force someone out on their own. The courts warn that a landlord cannot lock a tenant out, shut off utilities, or throw away belongings to make the person leave. If the landlord wins the case, the court issues the paperwork that allows the sheriff to carry out the eviction.
For homeowners, the hard part is figuring out whether the person is a guest, tenant, roommate, subtenant, lodger, or someone claiming another right to occupy the space. That question can depend on the facts, the property, the agreement, payment, length of stay, local rules, and what the person was allowed to do inside the home.
Written Terms Matter Before Keys Change Hands
Before anyone stays in a spare bedroom, guesthouse, detached unit, vacation home, inherited property, or room inside the owner’s home, the basic terms should be in writing. The document should state who is allowed to stay, when the stay begins, when it ends, whether any payment is due, who can receive mail, who gets keys, whether guests are allowed, whether pets are allowed, and which areas of the home are off-limits.
Payment should be handled carefully. Rent, utility contributions, deposits, regular overnight stays, stored belongings, mail delivery, and unrestricted access can make an arrangement look less like a short visit and more like a housing arrangement. Homeowners should speak with a local attorney or property manager before accepting money or letting a short stay drift into weeks without written terms.
Records should start on day one. Keep the agreement, identification details, payment records, text messages, emails, house rules, key handoff notes, move-in and move-out dates, camera footage, and any written notice given to the person. If the arrangement later falls apart, those records can help show what was agreed and when the person was supposed to leave.
Do Not Try to Force Someone Out Yourself
If a guest, roommate, renter, or occupant refuses to leave, homeowners should not change locks, remove belongings, shut off utilities, block access, or create a confrontation. Those steps can create legal problems for the owner even when the owner believes the person has no right to stay.
The next steps should be documented and local: preserve messages, gather the written agreement, save payment records, write down the timeline, avoid threats, and speak with a California housing attorney, local legal clinic, property manager, or court self-help office before taking action.
Vacation homes, guesthouses, and inherited properties need the same discipline. Owners should know who has keys, who is allowed to receive mail, who can stay overnight, who has written permission to occupy the space, and who is checking the property when it sits empty.
Before letting someone move into a spare room or detached space, homeowners should put the exit date, payment terms, house rules, key rules, mail rules, and move-out process in writing.