Owners at Honolulu condo reeling after steep increase in maintenance fees

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Condo owners are accustomed to paying monthly fees for things like maintenance or improvement projects in addition to their monthly mortgage.

But some owners at One Archer Lane say they weren’t ready for the the huge fees they’re now being charged.

Steve Dixon is a disabled Vietnam veteran and a condo owner at the building who says his monthly fees have skyrocketed since December to almost $3,000. He told HNN he was notified fees would rise in September in a letter by Hawaiiana Management Company, but he didn’t know what the monthly increase would be.

“I did not find out the amount until January when I got my back statement and saw they took out almost $3,000 dollars,” said Dixon, who added the maintenance fees in December were only around $600.

A letter sent by out by the building’s management company in September says two-bedroom unit owners like Dixon will have to pay about $20,000 in total to cover the work for a nearly $7 million capitol improvement project.

Ian Chow-Ise is a Realtor on Oahu who says rising maintenance and improvement fees are something condo owners have to grapple with.

“Unfortunately, on some of these buildings, especially the older buildings, we see some of these fees get higher and higher with necessary maintenance that has to happen,” said Chow-Ise.

One Archer Lane was built in the late 1990s. Nixon and other condo owners say they understand the need for improvements, but say fees need to rise more slowly.

HNN reached out to the Hawaiiana Management Company nearly a dozen times by email and phone for details on the fee increases and didn’t get a response.

One Archer Lane’s annual condo owners meeting will be held next week on April 17 and some say they are calling for new condo management.

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