Updated July 13, 2020

In response to COVID-19, the State of Hawaii implemented a 14-day quarantine for travelers which remains in effect until July 31, 2020. 

June 16, 2020: As Hawaii flattened the curve, the state lifted the quarantine for interisland travel for residents and visitors who have completed the 14 day quarantine.   The state implemented thermal screening and a stronger contact-tracing program.  Travelers are required to complete a new interisland travel form, which must be provided prior to travel--anyone who has not submitted the form or has a temperature above 100.4 degrees will not be allowed to fly. For the forms and more information visit:https://health.hawaii.gov/travel/  

September 1, 2020: In the wake of growing

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In response to COVID-19, the State of Hawaii implemented a 14-day quarantine for travelers.  Initially, this included those traveling interisland, as well as those arriving to the state both internationally and from the mainland US.  As the number of cases has dropped within the state, the government lifted the interisland quarantine starting on June 16, 2020.  The quarantine remains in effect for mainland/international travelers to the state until July 31, 2020.  

The state requires intersisland travelers to complete and submit a has a new travel form.  This must be provided prior to travel--anyone who has not submitted the form or has a temperature above 100.4 degrees will not be allowed to fly. For the forms and more information

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Property owners in Maui County should be receiving their notices of their annual Real Property Tax Assessment, which were mailed on March 15, 2020.  The notices will include:

• Tax Rate Classification
• January 1st Assessment (market value as of last June 30th, 2019)
• Exemption and person receiving the exemption

The deadline to file an appeal is April 9, 2020.  Errors can occur, exemptions can be missed, so please check your notice carefully. If no action is taken the owner will be committed to the tax rate classification, assessment value and exemption information presented on the form for the entire year.  

Please look for this assessment notice in the mail. When you receive it, review it for accuracy and if you have any questions,…

Maui County Property Taxes: Important Dates and Appeals

Right now, property tax owners are receiving notices for the second instalment of property taxes, which are due February 20, 2019.  In March, notices of assessed valuations will be mailed and owners will have until April 9, 2019 to file an appeal.

January 1	Assessed values established for use during the next tax year.
January 20	Second half of fiscal year tax bills mailed.
February 20	Second half of fiscal year tax bills due.
March 15	Assessment notices mailed.
April 9	Deadline for filing appeals.
May 1	Certified assessments forwarded to the County Council for budget purposes
June 20	Tax rates established by the County

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Maui Real Estate Market Overview and Buyer Statistics: Quarter 1 | 2018

Many Buyers and Sellers want to know where buyers of Maui County real estate call home (in this case, their legal residence).  There is often a misperception that the majority of our foreign buyers come from Asia.  While this might be true for Oahu's market (particularly Honolulu), it hasn't been the case for Maui County, which includes the islands of Molokai and Lanai.  Each year, Title Guaranty, one of Hawaii's most reputable Title and Escrow Companies, provides us with Buyer statistics.  

MAUI BUYER STATISTICS: TOP FOREIGN AND US BUYERS

So far in 2018, we see a similar pattern of where Buyers of Maui real estate originate, both from abroad and the mainland US.

Canada

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Maui Property Tax Rates for 2018-2019 Fiscal Year

The Maui County Council approved the new property tax rates for the July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019 Fiscal Year.

The figures below show the rates for each year.  Traditionally, the lowest tax rate is for Homeowner, where this is their declared primary residence.  The highest tax rate remains the Time Share Classification.   This is the first year the county has added the category of Short Term Rental for those condominiums that are rented for a period of time less than 180 days.  Read More on Maui Short Term Rentals.

Maui County assesses taxes based on the tax rate multiplied by the assessed value of the property.  The county assesses values each year based on the sales in the prior fiscal year. 

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What is HARPTA, the new law, and are there any exemptions?

What is HARPTA?

HARPTA is the Hawaii Real Property Tax Act.  HARPTA is a Withholding Tax on Sales of Hawaii Real Property by Nonresident Persons.  The " withholding obligation is generally imposed on the transferee/buyer when a Hawaii real property interest is acquired from a nonresident person. This withholding serves to collect Hawaii income tax that may be owed by the nonresident person."*  This is similar to the withholding in California, often referred to as CalFIRPTA, and the federal withholding tax on the disposition of real property known as FIRPTA (Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act)." Read More in Tax Information Release No. 2017-01

Per the State of Hawaii's

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Homes and Short Term Vacation Rentals in Maui County

How can you tell if the vacation rental listing of a Home is a scam or a legal rental?

Updated 2.22.22

I often get calls from people planning their vacation here on Maui and considering a home instead of a condo or hotel. The calls sometimes come when it just seems too good to be true; at other times, it's after they've paid deposits and can't reach their contact; and some come after they google the address and see the home is listed for sale.  Unfortunately, in almost all of these cases, the property is not a legal vacation rental.  Photos are simply taken from websites and used in online ads in a rental scam. 

It breaks my heart to hear these stories--sometimes they call before they've

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Frequently Asked Questions: What is the difference between Leasehold and Fee Simple Ownership in Hawaii

Alaeloa: a rare gem, oceanfront and ocean view cottages in Napili, Maui

Why is there leasehold property? The History of Leasehold Property in West Maui:

With the development of the Kaanapali Resort in 1961 and later the Kapalua Resort in 1978, Maui became a vacation destination. As tourism flourished and became the mainstay of our economy, local landowners partnered with developers to build Leasehold condominiums on family-owned properties or on former agricultural land.  In West Maui, many local landowners saw this as a way to retain ownership of their land and derive income from the lease rents.  Leases were typically set for 99 years,

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Maui Property Tax Rates Announced for 2017-2018 Fiscal Year

Per the Maui News article on June 5, 2017, the Maui County Council approved the new property tax rates for the July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018 Fiscal Year.

Maui County Property Tax Rates 2017 to 2018

The figures below show the rates for each year.  Traditionally, the lowest tax rate is for Homeowner, where this is their declared primary residence.  The highest tax rate remains the Time Share Classification.  The figures below are the Rate($)/Million of Assessed Value.

Change in tax rates by classification over 2016-2017 fiscal year:

Taxes increased across all categories from last year to this year, with the larges increase in those properties classified for use as Industrial,

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