Hawaii Condo Law

One of the changes in the law is the adoption of terms from the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (UCIOA). UCIOA is a model act that has been adopted in some form by 17 states. The new law follows UCIOA’s use of the term “unit” rather than “apartment,” in part to reflect that condominium units are not only apartments. They can be parking stalls, boat docks, commercial spaces, warehouse spaces, etc. Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3 definition is:

“Unit” means a physical or spatial portion of the condominium designated for separate ownership or occupancy, the boundaries of which are described in the declaration or pursuant to section 514B-35, with an exit to a public road or to a common element leading to a public road.

Last month, I did a seminar for the Hawaii IREM Chapteron the new condominium law and how it is different from the old law. I’ve previously wrote about the process of opting-in more fully to the new condominium law. That article and those referenced in the article explain some of the major differences between the old law and new law. However, in the next few articles, I will discuss some of the other differences.