A year after Honolulu City Council approved foreclosure on an illegal short-term rental with $3 million in fines, the city has not taken the property to court. The delay undermines the city’s enforcement credibility despite collecting more violation fines overall.
- Honolulu has not proceeded with foreclosure on Alewa Heights property one year after council approval, leaving $3M in STR fines uncollected.
- The California owner stopped operating the illegal rental in April 2024 after receiving collection notice but fines continued accumulating.
- City Council member criticizes the delay as sending wrong message about enforcement of vacation rental violations.
- Honolulu estimates $200 million in total unpaid building and zoning fines citywide across all violation types.
- City fine collections have increased from $500K in 2021 to over $2M in recent years with goal of 100% collection.
Source: Hawaii News Now
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