Someone has taken advantage of California laws to target Malibu homeowners for many years

A Malibu real estate agent has issued a warning to California homeowners regarding the importance of safeguarding themselves, especially after a serial squatter has reportedly been targeting the beachfront community for several years. The agent, Liz Benichou, a lifelong resident of Malibu, expressed her concern about the situation potentially escalating following the recent Los Angeles wildfires.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Liz Benichou shared her astonishment at how the alleged serial squatter, Ellie Mae McNulty, managed to deceive numerous people in a close-knit community like Malibu. She emphasized the tight relationships within the community, leading residents to develop a sense of trust with one another due to their similar lifestyles. This perceived trust often created a false sense of security for residents living in Malibu.

Ellie Mae McNulty, who is identified as an actor and screenwriter in her biography, has been accused of defrauding many Malibu homeowners over the past ten years. She reportedly ingratiated herself into their lives, only to turn into a troublesome and unwelcome roommate, as outlined in a report by Vanity Fair.

“First of all, how she’s been able to do this for so many years without getting caught, I think that just has to do with her overall charm. I think she’s a predator, and she finds people that are weak that she can prey on,” Benichou said.

A view of debris of houses at Malibu Beach during the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles on Jan. 12. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The wildfires weren’t the first crisis to expose the housing crisis in California, as Benichou said she really saw corruption and schemes come to light during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think a lot of people took advantage during COVID of being able to stay in their places because of that moratorium. And I think now a lot of people are going to use this (the fires) as an excuse,” she explained.

“But on the flip side of that, there are also tenants that I represented that have landlords trying to get more money out of them than what they were previously paying before the fires. So there are two sides to this coin right now after the fire. And now, there are new laws that have been put into place where you can’t just evict someone. But I do see landlords who are now trying to kind of get the tenants to leave on their own volition,” Benichou said.

Benichou was referring to emergency orders by California Gov. Gavin Newsom put into place in response to the wildfires that will prevent price gouging and prohibit such price hikes of more than 10% in Los Angeles County through March 8. The restrictions apply to existing tenants and new leases during the emergency period, according to the order. 

This beachfront home was destroyed by the Palisades Fire. (BACKGRID)

“In the face of natural disaster, we should be coming together to help our neighbors, not attempting to profit off of their pain,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a previous press release. 

Cal Fire reported that more than 12,000 homes, businesses and schools have been lost to the fires and more than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes.

Bonta’s office said in order to protect Californians affected by the Southern California wildfires, the Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting price gouging and has sent more than 650 warning letters, with more coming, to hotels and landlords who have been accused of price gouging.

“There are so many sides to this,” Benichou said. “And it’s hard because there are great tenants and there are great housing providers and then there are those who take advantage of every single situation. And unfortunately, because of the fact that we live in California, and certain cities within Los Angeles, like Santa Monica, for example, have rent control, so it’s harder to get a tenant out in Santa Monica than it is in, say, Burbank, which doesn’t have rent control.

“So there’s so much that goes into this whole tenant housing provider. And unless there are laws that change that are changed throughout California, you still have to deal with all the city laws.”