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Question: If I reported an illegal vacation rental, how do I find out what happened?
Answer: If you filed your complaint in writing, either online or by mail, and provided correct contact information, the city should inform you of the status of your complaint within 30 days of filing, as required by the law that restricts short-term vacation rentals on Oahu.
If you called in your complaint and didn’t provide contact information, the city won’t be able to update you, said Curtis Lum, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Planning and Permitting, which enforces this law.
You could check to see whether the property is listed at 808ne.ws/dppstr, where the DPP links to a table of outstanding Notices of Order “for recurring violations or non-compliance in improper advertisement of short-term rentals, or improper use of a dwelling for short-term rental.” Sixteen Oahu properties were listed as of Wednesday.
To be clear, the list includes only pending Notices of Order — not any that have been cleared — and also would not include properties that were issued an initial Notice of Violation and corrected the problem at that preliminary step.
Since Aug. 1, the city has been enforcing municipal ordinance 19-18 (Bill 89), which prohibits rentals of less than 30 days outside resort areas, unless the property has a non-conforming use certificate (NUC) from the city. The law seeks to stem the tide of tourism in residential neighborhoods.
DPP has issued 358 Notices of Violation since enforcement began, most of which were corrected before rising to the next level, Lum said. Property owners could stop advertising the rental as being available for less than 30 days, for example.
The DPP encourages neighbors and others to report suspected violations, after verifying that the address lacks a nonconforming use permit; you can do that online at 808ne.ws/str.
Complaints should include the location’s address (including apartment number, if applicable) and links to advertisements for short-term rental, if available. Photos may be submitted. The person making the complaint should include their name and contact information, which will be kept confidential, according to DPP.
Written complaints can be submitted online at app.hnl.info/str or by mail to the Department of Planning and Permitting, Memo: STR, 650 South King St., 7th floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Or people may call the complaint hot line, at 768-8127.
As of Monday, 423 complaints had been received through the online portal alone, Lum said.
Violations are punishable by fines of up to $10,000 a day, if the violation is a recurring one that persists.
Q: How much hand sanitizer can you bring on a flight? Have they changed the rules at all?
A: Airline passengers can carry on hand-sanitizing gel or liquid, as long as the container size is 3.4 ounces or less, the standard rule. You can pack larger quantities in your checked luggage, although be sure to seal them carefully so they don’t leak en route.
Also, disinfecting wipes are allowed in carry-on and checked bags without restrictions, according to the Transportation Security Administration, which has been getting this question often lately, as passengers try to stay healthy amid a global coronavirus outbreak.
Mahalo
Mahalo to friends and neighbors who check on me every day while this flu or whatever it is going around. A lot of seniors can’t take care of themselves when they are sick. I am lucky that I don’t even have to worry about it because my great friends and neighbors are looking out for me. Mahalo! — Senior auntie
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.
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