The housing epidemic in Hawai’i has reached an all time fucking low.
Let me tell you a little story.
My landlord informed me that he’s in trouble with the building permitting office, and because I have a perfect rental history he wants to relocate me (with my husband and two kids) to another property. I’m like okay fine, I’ll go look at it.
But then I get there … and it’s literally a concrete slab with walls and cheap windows.
This piece of shit had:
No front door
No floor (just raw concrete)
No walls or insulation
No kitchen
No bathroom, shower, or toilet
No septic tank
No electricity
No water or catchment
They want $825 a month
I asked when they were going to finish the cabin. They said it was already done, and we would have to pay for everything else out of pocket.
Is this illegal? Probably. But in my area, there are over 800 displaced residents who are looking for rentals due to the Kīlauea volcano. Someone will probably be desperate enough to take this offer, but not me.
This is the type of housing conditions natives and Hawai’i locals are dealing with so foreigners can have their Air BnBs, vacation rentals, and retirement cabins. So rich politicians can have a second or third home somewhere tropical.
In normal conditions, I would guess that this violates all kinds of housing laws, but in a disaster, it’s doubly illegal, as it’s price gouging. You should report it.
Report any instances of price gouging by emailing [email protected] with the following information:
Name of business
Location of the business (island, city, area)
Item purchased (any specific information about the product)
Name and contact number of the consumer
During normal business hours, consumers can call the DCCA Consumer Resource Center (CRC) between 7:45 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday at 587-4272 or 587-3295 from Oahu. Residents on the neighbor islands can call the following numbers:
Kauai 274-3141 ext. 74272
Maui 984-2400 ext. 74272
Hawaii 974-4000 ext. 74272
Lanai & Molokai 1-800-468-4644 (toll free)
Q: What are the consequences if a merchant violates the law?
A: Violation of the price increase prohibition is an unfair method of competition, and an unfair deceptive act or practice under Haw. Rev. Stat. § 480-2, subject to civil penalties as provided for in Haw. Rev. Stat. § 480-3.1. Each item sold in violation of the law is a separate violation. Fines of $500, up to $10,000, per day, per violation, are possible.
Mahalo nui for this addition!
