Rise of the McMansions: LA's homeless get inventive and build their own sidewalk homes complete with showers, ACs, grills and tiki bars by tapping into street lights for power and fire hydrants for running water

Homeless encampments on sidewalks throughout Los Angeles are being dubbed 'McMansions' because some are now fitted with showers, grills and even ACs. 

Some of the homeless people living in tents scattered across the city have started using city fire hydrants to provide their living spaces with running water and showers. 

Others are also using city street lights so they can have electricity inside their tents.  

NBC Los Angeles obtained images of one tent near downtown LA that has a working shower, air conditioning, a grill with a range hood and even a doorbell. 

One homeless tent in Los Angeles has been fitting with a running shower and also a grill with a range hood

Others located near Venice have wading pools outside and even a tiki bar to serve drinks to homeless neighbors

One tent that has been erected under an overpass in Hollywood stretches across the sidewalk and even has a 15-foot high slide. 

Others located near Venice have wading pools outside and even a tiki bar to serve drinks to homeless neighbors. 

Some of the encampments, which have been dubbed McMansions by local residents and business owners, have become so large they take over entire stretches of the sidewalk.

In some cases, the encampments spill out onto roadways. 

Nearby residents and business owners say the tents have been expanding in size even since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 

This homeless encampment is complete with a wading pool near Venice

One tent that has been erected under an overpass in Hollywood stretches across the sidewalk and even has a 15-foot high slide

They say city officials opted to ignore the tents when the COVID-19 outbreak began.

Now, they say, officials are just ignoring them - even as they continue to grow. 

'They are doing things that are obviously against the law and dangerous. No one is inspecting. No one is checking,' Estela Lopez, a local business leader, said.

Lopez says she has repeatedly called the Bureau of Sanitation about some of the tents, including the one fitting with a shower. 

'Just like they're sending inspectors to every single business to make sure that they're following code, why aren't we doing the same thing with the public right of way?' she said. 

This homeless shelter covers the entire sidewalk and is covered in mattresses

This tent is complete with a shower, electricity and even ventilation