# My Eviction Attorney - Niv Davidovich | Tosh Show Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBWy6pmOM7s Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/RBWy6pmOM7s Generated: 2026-01-27T14:40:42.837+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Eviction attorney Niv Davidovich explains that evicting tenants in Los Angeles is challenging but not impossible, noting that the average eviction takes about six months due to numerous free legal defense agencies assisting tenants who often drag out proceedings, and he strongly advises against investing in residential real estate in LA now because it requires full-time professional management to navigate the complex legal environment. **Key Points:** - The average eviction in Los Angeles takes about six months to conclude, providing tenants with a half-year of free rent if they contest the action. - LA has 16 different agencies providing free legal defense to tenants, often acting as political activists who benefit from dragging out the process, frequently leading to settlements involving rent waivers. - Davidovich holds a gold record in Japan as a songwriter/producer, having sold English-language productions to Japanese artists who then wrote new Japanese lyrics over the music. - The attorney strongly opposes rent control, stating that economic studies show it consistently causes rents to increase rather than decrease. - Davidovich advocates for fixing the housing crisis by eliminating rent control and removing severe restrictions on building height and square footage for new construction. - He detailed an extreme case where a tenant, after being lawfully locked out by the Sheriff, broke back into her unit, presented a forged letter claiming accidental eviction, and required the attorney to physically push past her to regain possession. - Davidovich warns that being a landlord in LA today is like playing in the NFL playoffs, demanding professional, full-time management, unlike in the 50s through 80s when it was a viable side hustle. **Context:** This episode of the Tosh Show features an interview with Niv Davidovich, an eviction attorney based in Los Angeles, who previously worked as a songwriter and producer, even earning a gold record in Japan. The conversation centers on the extreme difficulties landlords face when trying to evict tenants in Los Angeles County, contrasting it with easier processes outside the county, while also touching upon Davidovich's background, including attending the same high school as many celebrity children. ## Detailed Analysis Niv Davidovich details the arduous process of eviction law, particularly in LA County, contrasting it with less restrictive areas like San Bernardino or Riverside. He emphasizes that 95% of tenants are manageable, but the 5% of 'psychos' consume all the time and money. The primary obstacle is the system supporting tenants: 16 agencies offer free legal defense, incentivizing tenants to prolong proceedings, often resulting in settlements favorable to the tenant, like rent waivers, to avoid lengthy jury trials. Davidovich notes that jury trials are inherently biased against landlords, as juries often consist mostly of tenants who dislike their own landlords. He recounts several bizarre tenant incidents, including filming pornography on a penthouse patio and in a common stairwell, a tenant who attempted to firebomb a federal courthouse (forgetting to light the Molotov cocktails), and one case involving a tenant who repeatedly broke back into her unit after being lawfully locked out, even producing a forged letter to confuse responding police officers. Regarding real estate investment, Davidovich strongly advises against it in LA unless the owner plans to dedicate full-time effort, comparing the current environment to the NFL playoffs rather than a simple side hustle due to the complexity of evictions, which average six months. He vehemently argues against rent control, citing economic studies that prove it leads to higher overall rents, and proposes that the housing crisis can only be fixed by eliminating rent control and drastically reducing restrictions on building height and square footage. ### Guest Background - Born in Israel to Russian engineer parents - Attended Buckley High School with celebrities like Rashida Jones - Studied engineering at USC (a traumatic experience) before pivoting to law - Achieved a gold record in Japan as a songwriter/producer. ### Eviction Process & Challenges in LA - Average eviction takes six months - 16 agencies provide free tenant defense, incentivizing delays - Jury trials are statistically biased against landlords (10-12 tenants on jury) - The porn tenants were evicted quickly (six days) due to egregious lease violations. ### Tenant Horror Stories - Evicted tenants filmed pornography on patios and in stairwells - One tenant tried to firebomb the federal courthouse using unlit Molotov cocktails - Another tenant, after being locked out, broke back in and used a forged letter to confuse the police, requiring the attorney to physically enter the unit to remove her. ### Real Estate Investment Advice - Being a landlord in LA today requires full-time professional management, unlike in previous decades - Renting to higher-end tenants is both riskier (vacancies) and less risky (better credit/less craziness) - Strongly opposes rent control, stating it increases overall rents. ### Proposed Housing Solutions - Quickest fixes involve eliminating rent control entirely - Deregulating building construction by removing restrictions on height and square footage, calling current anti-mansionization rules nonsensical. ### Legal Theater & AI Impact - Trial work is 30-40% theater - Pro-se tenants using ChatGPT as a lawyer creates difficulties because the AI fabricates case law and statutes, forcing lawyers to verify invented laws like 'Santa Monica Title 16'.