More than a year ago, we were advised by Knancy Knowsthedish, a veteran player in the L.A. real estate game, that “Hangover” franchise star Justin Bartha and his new wife, Lia Smith, were on the hunt for new digs in Los Angeles. Two always well-informed sources have now snitched that last May, the couple made an under-the-radar, $3.2 million purchase of a gated residence in the Los Feliz area — the seller was rock ’n’ roll scion Jack Osbourne — which, as it turns out, has become available as a fully furnished lease at $16,000 per month.
The restored, 1920s Spanish residence retains many original architectural details, and measures in at 4,810 square feet, with three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus an attached guesthouse with two more bedrooms, one bathroom and a second kitchen. The two-story house wraps around a bilevel central courtyard with a plunge-sized swimming pool, and the back of the house opens to a second terrace fitted with a stainless-steel grilling station.
Bartha previously owned a more modest, 1930s Spanish-style house in Laurel Canyon that he bought in the fall of 2007 for $1.25 million, and sold last July for $1.385 million.
Surprisingly, it’s not unusual for celebs to let their multimillion dollar homes. Jeremy Piven’s Malibu beachfront bachelor pad is up for grabs as a summer rental at $35,000 per month, and Leonardo DiCaprio owns a $10 million apartment in New York currently leased at $25,000 per month, as well as a jaw-dropping midcentury modern in Palm Springs newly listed as a vacation rental at $4,500 per night, with a two-night minimum.
listing photos: The Agency
