How does adoption affect DHHL eligibility?
Can I designate my adopted child as the successor to my lease? What about other adopted relatives? By Henderson Huihui, NHLC Staff Attorney, ʻOhana Services There is a legal distinction between legal adoption and the traditional practice of hānai. The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) provides a specific list of relatives who may succeed to a homestead lease. This list includes spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, as long as they have at least 25% biological Native Hawaiian blood quantum. The list also includes parents, nieces, and nephews, as long as they have at least 50% Native Hawaiian blood quantum, referred to ...
What is a DHHL RWOTP lease? Is that a homestead lease?
By Henderson Huihui, NHLC Staff Attorney In 2021, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) began offering Hawaiʻi Island waitlisters and those with an Undivided Interest homestead lease a rent-with-option-to-purchase rental (“RWOTP”) agreement. After 15 years of renting a unit, the waitlister can purchase the unit and receive a 99-year homestead lease. DHHL has plans to expand RWOTP offerings to other areas and islands. For some waitlisters, the RWOTP program may be their best pathway to a homestead award, as they may have had to turn down previous homestead lease offers for a turnkey house because they could not obtain ...
Can the Department of Hawaiian Homelands cancel my lease?
I missed some mortgage payments for my DHHL homestead and got a letter saying my lease might be canceled. Can DHHL cancel my lease? Is there anything I can do to prevent losing my homestead? By Henderson Huihui, NHLC Staff Attorney If you miss mortgage payments, the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (“DHHL”) can seek to cancel your lease. To save the lease, you will need to make those payments or work out a plan with your bank and DHHL to get the account into good standing. If you have experienced hardship preventing you from making the payments, contact your bank ...
