But the filming has turned Conrad's house into "a production facility for their TV show," said David Brumer, who lives next door. "They're running an ongoing production studio in our neighborhood."
Brumer, a commercial realty agent, said many in the neighborhood doubt that Conrad, Patridge and Bosworth actually live in the house, despite what the show's story line suggests.
"Lights are left on in there 24/7, so you wonder if anyone is sleeping. Most of the neighbors don't see them there on a regular basis except when they are shooting," he said.
Fans sometimes show up at night, however. "Last Saturday night between 12:30 and 2:30 I was awakened three times by girls stopping in front of the house yelling, 'Lauren, we love you!' " Brumer said.
More worrisome are the occasional altercations in front of Conrad's house, according to neighbors.
Logs kept by homeowners indicate that "a drunken brawl broke out during a party" at the house May 4 and continued as the combatants stumbled down the street. On June 14 "several paparazzi began fighting and one pulled a knife on the other one."
Residents suggest that the paparazzi are tipped off to the comings and goings of the cast of the "The Hills" by MTV or the actors themselves as part of the show's publicity campaign.
A petition signed by about 30 residents demanding that the city revoke the filming permit complained that the show's production workers served food to the paparazzi and placed a port-a-potty in front of Conrad's house for their use. Homeowners also asserted that paparazzi were stealing residents' wireless Internet signals.
Conrad has denied personal involvement with paparazzi. And in a statement, she disputed that her house was nothing more than a de facto film studio.
"This is 100% my home and my only place of residence. I try to be a respectful and conscientious neighbor," she said.
A spokeswoman for MTV said that all of the show's filming was done "in accordance with all required production permits."
"The Hills" filming permit allows shooting to occur 16 days a month. It prohibits filming that is visible to neighbors before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
"We require all the production crews to be shuttled in and to not have production vehicles on the street," said Todd Lindgren, a vice president of FilmLA, which coordinates filming in Los Angeles. "We've tried to convey that we recognize that residents are upset. The number of looky-loos and tour buses would make anybody upset."
