Courtney Love Faces Eviction for Unpaid Rent and Fire Damage

Embattled rocker Courtney Love is being sued by the owner of the $27,000/month West Village townhouse she has been renting for less than a year.

Owner Donna Lyon has initiated eviction proceedings against Love, claiming that Kurt Cobain's widow broke an agreement not to alter the décor of the home, and is two months behind in rent payments.

Lyon, who reportedly paid $8 million for the townhouse, told the New York Post she was shocked to discover that Love had put her own special mark on the custom-designed luxury property though her rental agreement banned alerations.

It was decorated by the previous owner, interior designer Steven Gambrel. One of the requirements of the lease is that nothing should be done to the interiors, Lyon told the Post.

Courtney has wallpapered and painted a large portion of the property without my consent. I learned about this when I wanted to sell the house and had photographs taken. They sent me the brochure and I said, 'This can't be my property.' I came to New York to see it and I was horrified by what she had done. The walls that had been hand-painted and glazed were ruined, covered in damask wallpaper and ice-blue paint.

It is unclear how much, if any, damage to the townhouse is the result of a June incident that left Courtney with scorched hands -- a curtain in the master bedroom caught fire after coming into contact with a burning candle. Lyon told the Post that when Love's accountant called Lyon to tell her about the accident and assure her that her tenant was fine, she thought, What about the house?

This is not Courtney Love's first misadventure in real estate: She once crashed at a house full of self-styled pickup artists after befriending Neil Strauss, the author and journalist who had previously profiled Courtney for Rolling Stone magazine. Love's time in the Los Angeles home -- which involved bounced checks, repossessions, and numerous cigarette burns -- was chronicled in Strauss's book The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists.

Incidentally, Strauss met and fell in love with Courtney's friend and bandmate, Lisa Leveridge (who was a member of The Chelsea, Courtney's all-girl band). Strauss and Leveridge dated exclusively until 2006: According to UK tabloids, pop star Robbie Williams (of Take That) may have been to blame for the breakup.

Love is due in court in New York City on Dec. 21.