Archive

It appears that crime in Hawai’i is on the rise. More disturbing is that violent crimes have increased, including violent robberies, assaults, and crimes involving firearms. Since 2017, there has been approximately 20% increase in the number of crimes involving firearms. Our association clients have reported increased theft of personal property, destruction of physical property, […]

Partner Keri C. Mehling’s article on 7 Reasons to Avoid Litigation in Association Disputes was featured in the Building Management Hawaii November 2019 issue. See below for featured article.   Click here to be directed to the featured magazine on Building Management Hawaii’s website.  

What is it? Incorporation is the formation of an entity, typically a non-profit corporation for an association, by filing the requisite documents with the State of Hawaii.  Incorporating is not required in order to operate as an association in Hawaii, however, there are certain advantages.  Advantages of Incorporation The incorporation of an association provides several […]

Noise disputes among owners can be one of the most troublesome problems that community associations and their managers face. Not only can they be expensive to resolve, they can cause community unrest and bad feelings. However, if the association acts quickly and assertively, it may be able to diffuse the dispute, or at least keep […]

This 2018 summer legislative session contained some significant changes in the law pertaining to the way associations collect. The law took effect on July 1, 2018. Most significantly, HRS § 514B-105(c), which applies to condominium associations, has been changed so that the Board is no longer allowed to adopt a so-called “priority of payment” policy. […]

On July 11, 2017, Governor Ige signed Act 181 into law, effective January 1, 2019, which will repeal Hawaii Revised Statutes (“HRS”) 514A. While Act 181 is a positive step towards uniformity in Hawaii’s condominium, the repeal of HRS 514A may affect developers and owners who received their unit(s) as a gift or inheritance from […]

After a two-year court battle, MSM’s litigation team, led by partners William McKeon and Keri Mehling, successfully obtained an injunction for an oceanfront condominium project on Maui’s west side against an owner who refused to allow repairs to his unit that were required to strengthen one of the project’s buildings. MSM also obtained a sizeable […]

The tragic fire that broke out on Friday, July 14, 2017, at the Marco Polo Apartments in Honolulu has catalyzed action on the part of Hawaii’s legislators to mandate retrofitting of high-rise apartments to include automatic fire sprinklers. The fire, which broke out on the 26th floor, quickly spread to multiple units in the high-rise […]

On July 12, 2016, Governor Ige signed into law Act 238 (HB 1541 HD1 SD 1) relating to Planned Community Associations (“PCA”).  The Act seeks to amend certain sections of Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 421J. In particular, the Act amends HRS section 421J-4, bringing proxy forms and proxy solicitation in line with condominium associations governed […]

We all have different opinions of what makes a “good neighbor”.  Some people would classify a good neighbor as someone who will chat across the fence or is willing to lend eggs.  Other people may believe a good neighbor is one who leaves everyone alone and minds his or her own business. While there is […]