HONOLULU (KHON2) — Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed Bill 41, related to short-term vacation rental properties on Oahu on Tuesday, April 26.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi, Councilmember Brandon Elefante, Councilmember Esther Kiaʻāina, Department of Planning and Permitting deputy director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna and other community leaders will be in attendance.
Councilmember Brandon Elefante said this was one of the most complicated bills he has worked on since he has been in office.
“This Bill and this piece of legislature will leave behind a legacy for future generations,” said Elefante. “It will increase Hawaii housing stock if enforcement is being taken seriously.”
Mayor Rick Blangiardi said they estimate the number of illegal short-term vacation rentals to be between 10,000-14,000 in Hawaii.
“We are going to hire field inspectors and the software programs that we are going to buy. We have looked into a number of programs, and I was amazed at how detailed they are,” said Blangiardi. “Enforcement will be the key and we absolutely intend to enforce this new bill.”
Bill 41 will limit vacation rentals to certain areas, including Turtle Bay, Makaha, Ko Olina, and parts of Waikiki and will require a minimum stay of three months instead of 30 days which is the current regulation. Bill 41 will go into effect 180 days after it has been signed.
Cracking down on illegal short-term rentals has grown over the past years throughout the pandemic.
In February of 2022, under a new agreement with Maui County to promote responsible hosting, Airbnb has recently removed more than 1,300 listings in compliance with local laws.
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It’s the first enforcement action the company has taken after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) back in July of 2021 that enables the County to better enforce its short-term rules. The agreement is similar to the ones signed with Kauai and Honolulu in 2020.
