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• HCCA lobbied for years to obtain lease to fee conversion legislation in the State Legislature and its efforts resulted in the first right of refusal law in favor of lessees.  HCCA was also appointed by the State Senate to represent the lessee group in a mediation process with the large landowners in order to determine an equitable resolution of the lease-to-fee dispute.  Although the mediation resulted in an impasse, both sides agreed that one of the problems was a lack of information regarding leasehold property and the law requiring leasehold disclosures was enacted in 1989 (HRS 516D-11 et seq.)

• HCCA was also a leader in the effort to enact Chapter 38 in the City & County of Honolulu in 1991, which was eventually upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, which allowed lessees to initiate a mandatory lease-to-fee conversion process.   Until the law was repealed in 2005, over 20,000 lessees on Oahu were able to convert from lease to fee either directly or indirectly as a result of Chapter 38.   HCCA was also actively involved in opposing the 3-year campaign that resulted in the repeal of Chapter 38 in 2005. 

• From the 1980’s to the current time, HCCA was appointed to serve on several Blue Ribbon Panels established by the State of Hawaii Real Estate Commission to review and comment on proposed legislation affecting condominiums, co-ops and planned community developments.   HCCA was on the panel that drafted the recodification of HRS 514B that was adopted by the State Legislature in 2005.  Most recently, HCCA served on a Blue Ribbon Panel that reviewed and commented on proposed changes to the Hawaii Administrative Rules for Chapter 514B.

• For three years in the mid-1990’s, HCCA served on a City Task Force investigating the Fire Department’s proposal to retro-fit older condominiums with fire sprinklers.  HCCA was able to persuade the City that it would be cost–prohibitive to unit owners to require retro-fitting.   During that process, HCCA was able to include fire-safety and emergency services information in its educational programs so that the 3-year interaction with the Fire Department resulted in many benefits to our members. HCCA was also a member of the RFSAC in 2005 and again in 2017.

• HCCA was pro-active in the establishment of aging-in place laws in HRS 514A and 514B (514B-142).   We were able to get enacted a limitation on liability for association employees who assisted elderly and disabled residents and to establish a process where the association could obtain social services for aged and disabled residents so that they could remain independent and remain in their homes. 

Bigger Milestones:

Other issues where HCCA has been involved:     

In 2015, we opposed the City’s action to stop rubbish removal services to condos;

Fought for reduction in property taxes when Mayor Harris’ “revenue neutral” policy resulted in higher property taxes for condos;     

• Opposed the State Legislature’s several attempts to pass a law that would have resulted in GET tax on maintenance fees;
  • Participated in the task force that established the rules and regulations for the registration and licensing of security guards;
  • Was instrumental in the passage of state law relating to the installation of solar panels on the rooftops of townhouse units that required the unit owner and its successors to provide insurance to the Association and to assume liability for any damage resulting from the installation of the solar system;
  • Was instrumental in the passage of state law limiting the operation of a childcare operation to the ground-floor unit of a townhouse project (and not in a high-rise building) and requiring the operator to provide insurance coverage in favor of the Association;   
  • Several times opposed the City’s attempt to increase the rate (i.e., lower than the rate charged to single-family homeowners) for water and sewer charged to condominiums;
  • Was instrumental in the passage of state law that requires condominiums/co-ops and gated-communities to allow access to process servers to enter the building or community to effect service of process; 
  • In 2011 and 2012, was appointed to the State Mortgage Foreclosure Task Force that allowed condominiums/co-ops and community associations to continue to do non-judicial foreclosure and established a web-site at the DCCA for the publication of foreclosure notices at a cost substantially less than the cost charged by the local newspaper.     
  • 2017 HCCA’s Jane Sugimura was appointed by Mayor Kirk Caldwell to the Residential Fire Safety Advisory Council (RFSAC).  She has strongly advocated on behalf of the approximately 150 or so highrise condos that are facing a possible mandatory Fire Sprinkler installations.  As of March 2018 this bill is still pending before the City Council.
  • 2017 Bill 17 which would require mandatory building inspections by a licensed Hawaii engineer and specifically railings.  HCCA’s Jane Sugimura and many other Condo Board of Directors have fought and are still fighting against this requirement. As of  March 2018 this bill is still pending before the City Council.