Question: Is it true that HPD will keep an eye on my house when I’m on vacation?
Answer: Yes, this is called a “house check,” according to the Police Department’s website. You can request one by calling 911 and asking for the police, nonemergency line, or you can make the request online. You must register first with HPD (do so at 808ne.ws/2g48BSF), then follow the prompts for a house check report.
House checks conducted by uniformed officers are limited to single-family homes; no stores, construction sites, apartments, condominiums or townhouses are allowed. Also, this service is not available for houses that are up for sale or rent or that are being fumigated.
The resident must be gone for a minimum of five days, and the house can be checked for no longer than 30 days, according to HPD.
Your vacation dates must be firm (no open-ended requests), and if you arrive home early, be sure to notify HPD, which will dispatch an officer to verify your return.
Q: I thought the city had an app for reporting potholes.
A: Yes, you are correct. Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services, confirmed that the Honolulu 311 smartphone app allows people to initiate repairs by submitting photos of potholes on city streets; the app’s geolocator shows where the photo was taken.
Users also may report broken streetlights, cracked sidewalks, illegal dumping, graffiti and other vandalism using the free app, which is compatible with iPhone, Android and other mobile communication devices.
Go to your smartphone provider’s store, such as on iTunes or Google Play, to download the app.
Volunteers needed
The Internal Revenue Service needs volunteers to help people prepare their taxes free of charge via the agency’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs. Bilingual volunteers are in especially high demand, the IRS said in a news release.
You don’t have to be an accountant to help, as the IRS provides training and not all volunteers prepare taxes. There are three volunteer roles: tax-return preparer, site coordinator (site supervisor or site manager) and greeter.
Training occurs between now and January. Most volunteers study online with Link & Learn Taxes (apps.irs.gov/app/vita); classroom training may also be available. Once certified, volunteers help between February and April, as little as three to four hours a week, the IRS said.
To volunteer, email taxvolunteer@irs.gov, jmartin@higoodwill.org or kamida@hawaii.edu; or you may sign up via the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program (aarp.org/taxvolunteer) or by calling Hawaii Tax Help & Financial Empowerment Solutions at 381-0881 (ask for Susan).
Last year about 600 volunteers in Hawaii helped prepare more than 16,000 federal and state tax returns through the two programs, the IRS said.
Note to a reader
An anonymous reader gave Kokua Line a $100 bill in thanks for addressing the topic of illegal parking and overcrowding. The question and answer inspired neighbors to abide by the law and even spruce up their properties, the reader said.
While we are pleased to hear that the column inspired positive community action, and appreciate the kind note, we cannot accept the gift.
Doing so would violate the newspaper’s ethics policy. Since you did not provide a name, address or other contact information, we cannot return your money as desired. Instead, we will donate it as an anonymous gift to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Good Neighbor Fund, which raises funds for the needy each holiday season.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
