Predatory Landlord Practices at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

News Release from Representative Sonny Ganaden District 30 – Kalihi, Kalihi Kai, Ke‘ehi Lagoon, and Hickam Village, Tues, Nov 14, 2023 

Over the last several months, Lendlease, a land management corporation, has engaged in predatory lease agreements, raising the rent at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam significantly, impacting hundreds of local families.

Numerous constituents have contacted our office to see if there is anything the state government can do. Our office has had several meetings with constituents, and members of the Department of Defense. From those meetings, it is clear that Lendlease is engaged in the arbitrary practices of a predatory corporate landlord and is exacerbating a housing crisis in Hawaii.

Lendlease has previously secured a contract with the Air Force for 50 years and manages the leases for 2,459 leases at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Civilians who meet rigorous requirements are allowed to live on base. Many of them work in the government, work on base, and are US veterans. This year, 453 “civilian” households are impacted by the rise in rents. It is unclear how many civilian families will be impacted in years to come. As a result of rent increases without pay increases, many will be forced to find housing off-base or move off island.

For most lessees, the increase is a $1,250 jump in rent per month. The determination of these raises in rent are matched to a recent 12% increase in Base Housing Allowance for service members on Oahu, using a process designed to maximize profit for Lendlease. The households at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam are also impacted by the Red Hill water crisis. Several homeowners are plaintiffs in ongoing litigation.

With no regard to the housing crisis faced by Hawaii residents, exacerbated by the housing crisis on Maui, or the impact that predatory leasing has on our local community, Lendlease continues to raise rents for local families.

We request that the Air Force, Lendlease, and our federal delegation work to remedy this form of arbitrary predatory leasing and freeze rents at the 2022 rate until a settlement is reached.

I am available to discuss via teleconference and will provide members of the press contact to impacted individuals with those individuals’ consent.

Representative Sonny Ganaden

District 30 – Kalihi, Kalihi Kai, Ke‘ehi Lagoon, and Hickam Village

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KITV: JBPHH residents call rent increases 'predatory attacks' from Lendlease landlords  --  The landlord, Lendlease, told Island News: "The vast majority of increases have been less than $500 per month; 82% of increases are between $301-500 per month; 7% of increases are more than $500 per month; and only 11 civilians on base are among that 7%."