Unreasonable Construction Laws in Hawaii

[Devany]

IMHO, the issue really comes up when a property is being sold and the buyers need a mortgage. No unpermitted structures may be included in the appraisal and in Hawaii unpermitted structures seem to be the norm, they are everywhere. We ended up buying a house which had unpermitted lanais, because they have no railings on the lower 2 levels which are only 2'-3'off of the ground. The former owner was an architect and he did not want to ruin the integrity of his design. However, we looked at properties where entire structures and additions had no permits and therefore selling them later would be difficult, unless the buyers are paying cash, or as Dave stated were concerned about their safety in an unpermitted structure. I personally think that the permitting process is important for that very reason.

Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany

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