Abandoned Houses and Squatters in Honolulu.

Community boards across Oahu are urging the island’s administration to take control of properties that are often fire hazards and environmental pollution hotspots due to their abandonment, affecting all the people living around them. However, the city argues that foreclosing on all these properties is a difficult and very costly process.

While it is true that the administration has worked somewhat to improve this situation, measures and resources are still lacking to resolve this issue. A clear example of this was presented on Pensacola Street, where two foreclosed properties were demolished, and the administration’s ultimate goal is to develop affordable housing on these sites.

However, it is not only the issue of garbage and potential fires that concerns the community board but also the increase in homeless people occupying these abandoned properties. The board argues that the city should act more quickly and seek a prompt solution so that these places do not become a major nuisance for the residents of Oahu.

On the other hand, municipal administrative officials claim that their options are limited to imposing fines and foreclosing on all those properties. Legislative efforts to streamline the foreclosure process have stalled. Currently, the only effective method is to foreclose on abandoned properties through the courts, which is time-consuming and very costly for the island’s resources. Nevertheless, they declared that if, despite the fines, the owners do not take action on their properties, the administration will take action on these properties as they pose a serious risk to public health and safety.

While these are legal measures in line with the administration’s budget, the board complains that these actions take a long time, and these abandoned houses cause the problems of garbage, pollution, fires, and squatters to multiply. And it is no secret that Honolulu now has a large number of abandoned properties, as is the case in the Makiki neighborhood.

Many people concerned about this crisis caused by empty houses have proposed several solutions to this problem. One of these solutions was provided by Ellen Godbey Carson, former president of the Institute for Human Services, who is closely experiencing the consequences of this conflict.

Ellen has proposed the creation of a group within the Honolulu Corporation Counsel’s office to help identify properties with a high threshold of delinquent taxes and that are violating the city’s housing code. Once identified, the administration could initiate the foreclosure process or at least file the papers, which would give the owner an additional incentive to resolve the situation.

Real estate market experts have suggested that the easiest route for the Honolulu administration is to proceed with purchasing all those abandoned properties before they become a major challenge for the city.

It would be easier to contact their owners and negotiate a fair value with them, thus providing a faster, more effective, and economical solution to the entire situation. A solution that would be a relief for both parties; on one hand, the administration resolves this conflict and can generate more affordable housing using these lots, and on the other hand, the owner does not acquire the status of a delinquent since having an abandoned house can accumulate many fines, which sometimes even exceed the property’s value.

In an effort to find faster solutions and avoid the prolonged times that foreclosure processes take, Honolulu County and the city have tried several times to pass a bill in the Legislative Assembly that would allow counties to foreclose on certain abandoned properties without the need to go to court, known as non-judicial foreclosure.

This measure would speed up the process for neighboring property owners and affected individuals and reduce the cost of carrying out the expropriation process, which would be a benefit for everyone. However, the measure did not receive the expected support, and opponents of the bill feared that this would give counties too much power to seize people’s homes.

Opponents also stated that the county’s role should be focused on helping owners correct their violations and comply with regulations rather than being too eager to seize private properties.

What the opponents did not understand is that the law would only apply in specific situations where owners accumulate very high fines. It would not apply to low-amount fines, and non-judicial foreclosure processes would only apply in cases where the property is completely abandoned.

Available Foreclosures:

Makiki: 5 homes available.

Wahiawa: 3 homes available.