Legal vacation rentals

I%26#39;ve been reading through posts on both the Big Island and the Oahu forums, trying to find vacation rentals for our upcoming trip. In Oahu, there is a lot of talk about making sure the condo/house is legal, certified as a rental property. Is this a big issue on the Big Island (especially on the Kohala coast) as well? I haven%26#39;t seen many posts about it. Thanks in advance for any information.

Legal vacation rentals

its pretty easy to spot....look on a map to see if it is in a residential area.. if it is then there is a very good chance it is not legal. If it is next to condos in the main areas for tourists then it proably is legal.

This is alos happening on Kauai.... where owners rent their homes out in residential areas... this is why you should avoid renting from an owner...

Legal vacation rentals

Thanks, hawaiidan. So, the Waikoloa condos (Kolea, Hali%26#39;i Kai) are considered legal vacation rentals? Many people recommend them on this forum.

I own at Hali%26#39;i Kai and am familiar with Kolea. Both Kolea and Hali%26#39;i Kai are in a resort area (Waikoloa Beach Resort) and the units can be legally rented.

Everything in Waikoloa Beach Resort, Four Seasons, Mauni Lanu, Mauna Kea, Along Alii Drive from Kona to Keahou, Kona Bay Estates, are all legal rentals.

ANd only the condos in Waikoloa village... not the homes

';Legal'; would mean ';Registered AND Licensed'; here. You can check both (and even complaints history) at hawaii.gov/dcca/…

Oahu has different regulations than we do. Each of the counties has its own rules. There is no movement here to shut down vacation rentals outside of resort areas, and there is no use permit process for vacation rentals, only for B%26amp;B%26#39;s.

The license TT refers to is a tax license making the owner legal in the eyes of the state. The controversies on the other islands are issues with the respective counties and zoning rules.

There are two issues (at least) with legality:

1) have a tax license and declare the revenue, pay the state taxes, general excise and transient accommodations, and of course your income tax.

2) zoning, whether a use permit is required.

Hawai%26#39;i Couty is the only county that didn%26#39;t enact some sort of use permit requirement for vacation rentals, as I understand it, but TT can correct me if I%26#39;m wrong.

A third issue with legality is that if the owner doesn%26#39;t live on island there must be a legal property management arrangement.

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