Hawaii guide
Hawaii condo document review
Hawaii condo document review operates under HRS Chapter 514B — one of the more prescriptive U.S. condo statutes.
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Despite that comprehensiveness, Hawaii has no statutory resale-certificate requirement for resales (only a public report for new developments under §514B-54). Buyers must proactively request all association documents through the contract. Honolulu's Fire and Life Safety Evaluation, leasehold-vs.-fee status, and the post-Maui insurance market add specific Hawaii overlays.
What HRS Chapter 514B requires of associations
Registration with the Real Estate Commission, annual reports, reserve study every 3 years with minimum 50% funding (§514B-148), master insurance with $1M liability, fidelity, and D&O (§514B-143), 30-day notice for assessments (§514B-144), records access (§514B-152–154), 6-month super-lien (§514B-146). The statute is prescriptive on association duties — but does not impose a resale-disclosure regime.
Resale disclosure is contract-driven
No equivalent to Washington's RCW 64.34.425 or Illinois Section 22.1. Sellers and associations provide what the contract requires. Buyers should explicitly request: declaration, bylaws, current budget, recent financials and bank statements, reserve study, recent minutes (especially special-assessment discussions), master policy declarations and claim history, pending litigation summary, and Honolulu fire-safety evaluation status (where applicable).
Honolulu fire-safety overlay
For Honolulu high-rises 4 stories and above without sprinklers, request the most recent Fire and Life Safety Evaluation or current sprinkler-installation plan. Outstanding compliance items signal upcoming capital programs.
Leasehold vs. fee-simple threshold question
Verify before anything else. Leasehold buildings have implications for financing, ground rent, and exit pricing that fee-simple ownership does not.
Hawaii legal references
- HRS Chapter 514B — Condominium Property Regimes
- HRS §514B-143 — Required association insurance
- HRS §514B-148 — Reserve study and funding requirement
- HRS §514B-146 — Association lien (6-month super-lien)
Informational only. Not legal advice. Always confirm against current statute and counsel.
Need help applying these Hawaii statutes to your specific situation? We can connect you with state-licensed counsel and specialists familiar with this exact regulatory environment.
Find a Hawaii specialist →Reviewer's checklist
- Verify fee-simple vs. leasehold status
- Request the current reserve study (HRS §514B-148 — every 3 years)
- Verify reserves funded at minimum 50% of study (§514B-148)
- Request master policy declarations page and exclusions endorsement
- Verify §514B-143 insurance compliance ($1M liability, fidelity, D&O)
- For Honolulu high-rises: request Fire and Life Safety Evaluation status
- Request 18+ months of board minutes
- Request an explicit litigation summary
- Confirm condominium is registered with Real Estate Commission
- Build documentation contingency into the contract
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Related risk areas
Read these next to round out your due diligence
HOA document review
An HOA document review reads the full association document set — declaration or deed restrictions, CC&Rs, bylaws, resale or disclosure certificate, current budget, audited financials, meeting minutes, and any enforcement history — and surfaces the items that actually affect your ownership cost, your usage rights, and your exposure to surprise assessments.
Reserve studies
A reserve study tells you what the association expects to spend on long-term capital repairs and replacements, and whether it is funding those obligations adequately.
Insurance risk
The association's master insurance policy determines what your personal HO-6 policy needs to cover — and what it does not.
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Get Your Free Condo Risk Report
Upload condo or HOA documents for a free risk review. We read reserve studies, budgets, meeting minutes, insurance summaries, and assessment exposure — every finding linked to the exact page.
Expert Matching
Need a real estate lawyer or mortgage specialist?
We can connect you with vetted real estate lawyers, mortgage brokers, and insurance brokers familiar with the specifics of condo and HOA transactions.
- HOA lawyer
- Mortgage broker
- Insurance broker