The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting has launched a new Short-Term Rental Awareness Campaign designed for the public interested in staying at a vacation rental on Oʻahu.
The new campaign educates the public on how to identify whether a STR is operating illegally by spotting illegal STR ads and ensuring that they operate within the law.
“Knowing whether a short-term rental is legal or illegal can help you plan your vacation responsibly, or determine if a neighbor is properly renting their property, both of which help to better protect our neighborhoods and housing stock from the negative impacts of illegal short-term rentals,” DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna said in a news release.
Under Ordinance 22-7, a STR cannot be advertised for less than 30 consecutive days unless the unit is legally registered as a STR or located in a designated hotel or resort zone.
Legal STRs include bed and breakfast homes and transient vacation units.
To check if an STR is legal:
- Ask for the STR registration or Nonconforming Use Certificate Number. DPP said a legal ad will provide this information up front.
- Identify the Tax Map Key, or TMK, which identifies the property’s location and must be shown in the ad.
- Look for the required disclaimer: If the rental is not registered, the ad must state that it cannot be rented for fewer than 30 days.
- Still unsure? Email the city a link to the ad, and they can help verify its legality.
- The city also has STR resources like a property tool search and STR compliance map.
The DPP said that illegal STRs can negatively impact local housing availability, disturb residential neighborhoods, and lead to unfair competition with legal STR operators.
The city will continue to ensure compliance across the island. Illegal STRs can be reported here.
