Hawaii visitors who rely on Maui’s condo rentals are seeing their access threatened—as a sweeping rental ban moves forward and tensions rise.
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76 thoughts on “Maui Vacation Rental Ban Moves Forward Amid Growing Outrage”
Our politicians can’t do basic math. Let’s say the target low-income rent for a 2-bedroom condo is $4,000 per month. Let’s say Bill 9 creates a sell-off and these condos drop from about $1.2 million to $800,000 purchase price. Take a buyer with 10% down, and their monthly costs look like this:
Description Monthly $$
Mortgage Payment $5,905.53
HOA Dues $1,200.00
Property Taxes $1,000.00
Utilities $200.00
Other $100.00
TOTAL $8,405.53
What reasonable investor is going to make that work? Cut the mortgage payment in half and you still lose money! Plus the wear and tear maintenance and repairs that will be required.
The current path the elected Maui officials (supported by the legislature) are on is slowly killing the golden goose. Delaying till 2030 is a boldface attempt by them to keep their positions and the hotel industry campaign funding both groups receive. The whole concept is a fraud. The apartments involved are not going to work as long term rentals.
If Bill 9 goes to and passes into law by the full council and the voters don’t throw these totally corrupt people out, the courts will rule and kill it.
I’m not a super fan of tourists, you can pick them out easily, pasty white people driving jeep or mustang convertible wearing their baseball hat. But we need them. I make Deliverys and a lot of our business dollars comes from them. They should let people keep there short term rentals. It’s good for our economy and as previously mentioned in the article, the taxes and fees that come in is important. The state needs to find some where to build affordable housing for locals.
I agree, but, your current government in Hawaii is depriving the people of Hawaii immensely.
There will be a loss of many jobs , but mostly ones with out medical or pensions. People that work on call, as needed.
New jobs will be created at the hotels and also at the legal vacation rentals that will have their occupancy go up. ✅🌺
Tge tge Lahaina Harbor is closed from fire sane. That affects 600 jobs. No one is pressing the harbor to reopen
Terribly sad to read this. So sorry. Wonder if there is anything that could be done.
Has anyone got suggestions?
Why do Hawaii residents consistently vote these unqualified state congress people into office? And Josh Green, MD? Who do they really care about? People who will vote for them, and a hotel association that funds their campaigns. Why do they persecute out of state condo owners and tourists?
There are better ways to handle this. Cut the liberal NIMBY red tape that is even restricting new home and apartment construction in Lahina – tax those who have no say, and restrict those that are trying to solve the housing crisis.
Why is the press not digging into this? Well, who controls them.
I am curious if you have looked into the project in Kihei that is slated for public hearing on 9/9. Looks to be a hotel zoned condo complex which would be counter to the initiative of reducing STRs and creating more residential options in Maui and particularly south and west Maui. Would love to know your thoughts and if you have gathered more details on the project.
I’ll throw my voice into the uncaring void of Maui politics. I’ve been to Tahiti a few times, and have always been impressed by their “pension” (i.e. guesthouse) system. Maybe something similar would work on Maui.
Yes, I come from Ireland.
Guest houses were normal, everyday things in my home town. The Irish Tourist Board decided to supervise them in the years after I left Ireland which was a good thing to regulate their standards. When I used to vacation in European countries we enjoyed staying in “pension” homes. Bed and breakfast is the other term for these homes. The local people hosting were so knowledgeable about the areas surrounding their locations that it made the trip great. They would tell us where to travel to sightsee something we had read about in tourist brochures etc. I think this would work really well on Maui, giving tourists info from locals that is so valuable when one is in a different country/location. Also it would mean friendliness so avoiding any resentment between locals and tourists.
I wonder if Maui residents would care for this.
Owners probably would but the politicians have made it ok for residents to openly discourage visitors. We own & rent a condo in Kihei. We visit each year and keep a document as was suggested we provide to our guests. It also saves them a lot of vacation time.
There are lots of excellent rentals on Maui right now that are available at very attractive prices so encourage potential visitors to take advantage of it. Mahalo.
Thank you. I have been flying to Maui, Kihei, for the Winter months each year. With the controversy about STRs I am hesitant to make a reservation for a 2025-2026 trip. Perhaps I will search for a rental after reading your message. Thank you.
Eva, Vancouver, Canada