Question: I own a two-bedroom apartment at a senior-living complex in Honolulu. The unit is currently vacant. I would like to offer it as a housing option for one or two kupuna (55 years or older) displaced by the Maui wildfires. The age limit is a requirement for the complex. There would be no cost for one person (since I will be paying the first person’s maintenance fee) but there might be a cost for a second person. Would you know who I should contact to make such an offer?
Answer: Yes, you can register your available unit with the Hawaii Fire Relief Housing program, which is trying to match Maui residents displaced by the wildfires with housing on that island or throughout the state. Go to dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc/ and follow the links to the form for property owners and landlords offering available housing. Before submitting the form, make sure there’s nothing in your building’s rules that would prevent participation. After you submit the form, a representative of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. will contact you to confirm the information before entering the unit into the database. The same website has a form for fire-displaced Maui residents to fill out, saying what kind of housing they need. The program serves as a referral service, matching potential tenants and housing providers.
You are one of several Kokua Line readers who asked similar questions after Gov. Josh Green put out the call last week for Hawaii’s people to do all they can to keep displaced Lahaina and Kula residents in the islands. Now that the HHFDC has launched the program, we have more details from the agency’s FAQ.
Q: If I offer a vacant unit, can I charge rent?
A: Yes. Although the goal is to pair “Maui residents in urgent need of housing due to the recent fires with those Hawaii homeowners willing to assist by offering unoccupied rooms, units or houses on a temporary basis at no or nominal cost,” the program sets no requirements on rent prices. It will be up to the parties (housing provider and tenant) to agree to terms.
“Rent and other terms of occupancy will be a private contractual agreement between the owner and tenant. Landlords who rent to eligible persons displaced by the fires may be eligible for FEMA or state funds,” according to the program’s website. The main purpose is to house people quickly.
Q: Is there a minimum time period for the rental? I have a vacation rental I could offer for about six months, but not longer than that.
A: “We are asking landlords and property managers to make their units available to displaced Maui residents for a minimum of one month,” the agency says, so a six-month rental would be welcome.
Q: Similar private efforts are underway on social media. I listed my place with a Facebook group. Nobody’s taken it yet. Can I sign up with this website, too?
A: Yes, that’s fine with the HHFDC, which says that “listing your property on multiple platforms will increase the chance of it being seen by displaced families, couples or individuals. The benefit of listing it with the Hawaii Fire Relief Housing program, though, is that we can provide information on federal and state assistance that may become available.”
Q: Will the state vet the tenants?
A: No. The HHFDC “does not make any representation or warranties as to the qualifications or eligibility of any potential tenant. HHFDC will not be conducting any screening of potential tenants — it is the homeowner’s sole responsibility to do so.” Likewise, the agency is not screening the landlords who sign up to offer housing, beyond verifying basic information.
There is more information on the website. People who lack internet access can call 808-587-0469 for information and to ask questions.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
