Avg utilities for 3bd condo (Kailua: apartment, leasing agent, condos)

[kpop88]

Hi all,

Moving back home to Hawai'i from the mainland in a few months and its been awhile since I've lived in the islands. I will be renting a high rise (10th fl) condo in Hawaii Kai (3 bd/2 ba). I am hoping you all can share with me how much I should expect to spend each month on utilities? There are 3 adults living in the apartment and there are multiple AC units, a W/D, electric stove, dishwasher, etc.

Looking for following average costs for a 1150sqft condo:

- electric (assuming we run A/C every so often)
- water/sewage bill
- cable & internet w/hawaiian telcom (2-3 tv boxes)

Thanks so much!!

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by kpop88

I will be renting a high rise (10th fl) condo in Hawaii Kai (3 bd/2 ba). I am hoping you all can share with me how much I should expect to spend each month on utilities? There are 3 adults living in the apartment and there are multiple AC units, a W/D, electric stove, dishwasher, etc.

Looking for following average costs for a 1150sqft condo:

- electric (assuming we run A/C every so often)
- water/sewage bill
- cable & internet w/hawaiian telcom (2-3 tv boxes)

Well - I'd ask the landlord what the current tenants are paying. That is your best source.

A guess on electric - $200-$500/month all dependant on the AC unit - how many are being run - etc, etc....

Water/Sewer is usually paid by the landlord in a condo since it is usually part of the monthly maintenance fee.

Cable and internet - go to the Hawaiian Telcom website. Are you sure the condo get Hawaiian Telcom? A lot of condos are setup for Oceanic (and don't get Hawaiian Telcom) and many include at least basic cable as part of the maintenance fee so it subsidizes the cable bill - but the cost is widely variable depending on the movie packages, bundling, speed of internet - etc.

[kpop88]

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, this is a new "rental community" so there are no previous tenants and I feel like the estimates provided by the leasing agent were on the lower side ($40 water/sewer per mo, $200 electric). I do know that it is Hawaiian Telcom for internet and cable.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by kpop88

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, this is a new "rental community" so there are no previous tenants and I feel like the estimates provided by the leasing agent were on the lower side ($40 water/sewer per mo, $200 electric). I do know that it is Hawaiian Telcom for internet and cable.

I know which place you are talking about.

Since it is literally brand new, I'd expect everything to be very energy efficient.

It is really hard to know about the AC situation, there are all sorts of ways the building could have been built to maximize AC efficiency since it is brand new.

On the Hawaiian Telcom, the building made a deal with them to pre-wire the units and they are advertising "special rates" - the property mgmt company really should know that or will know soon.

I'm kind of surprised you will have a water/sewer bill - that is generally part of the rent.

Come back and give us a review when you move in - I'm not a fan of the building design myself and seems out of place compared to the townhouses around the area but it does seem to have nice amenities.

[pj737]

Originally Posted by kpop88

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, this is a new "rental community" so there are no previous tenants and I feel like the estimates provided by the leasing agent were on the lower side ($40 water/sewer per mo, $200 electric). I do know that it is Hawaiian Telcom for internet and cable.

The project you are moving into is billing water and sewer separately. This is smart as it reduces wasteful practices in water consumption.

The leasing agent is quite a bit off on what the water/sewer bill will be. If the developer is passing on the entire cost of the bill (which I'm sure they will), it will look like this -

Sewer - $49.37 base fee + $4.29 for every 1,000 gallons (multifamily rate)
Water - $9.26 base fee + $4.42 for every 1,000 gallons (multifamily rate)

Therefore if you use 100 gallons per person per day (average usage for modern household with water conserving devices installed) and you have 3 people residing in the home, you are using 9,000 gallons/mo.

$49.37 + ($4.29 x 9) = $38.61 + $9.26 + ($4.42 x 9) = $39.78 = $140.96. This is a far cry from $40.

Electric will be based on how often you use ac, how efficient the units are and how well insulated the building is from heat. These new condos do not offer any form of cross ventilation so all cooling will, unfortunately, be performed mechanically. I am not sure how the units are laid out but if you are facing Hawaii Kai Drive (south) the units will get quite warm as there are no awnings or eaves to keep the sun's rays off the curtain wall glass system. You can expect to spend anywhere from $100-$300/mo on air conditioning costs alone depending on how often people are home during the day, the time of year and how cool the temperature needs to be indoors to be comfortable for the occupants. Expect to pay another $150-$200 on electric to cover other electricity needs (heat water, laundry, cooking, refrigeration, lights, electronics, fans etc etc). Water heating alone can cost $80/mo between 3 people. Take short showers and wash clothes in cold water. Hopefully the developer used front-loading washers as top loaders are big water wasters. Expect the electric bill to be between $250-$450/mo. If you are real energy misers and don't use the ac much at all, you could get that to below $200 but that's likely unrealistic.

I am not sure about Hawaiian Tel but Oceanic bulk commercial rates for internet and cable run about $80 including one box. You will pay $10-$15/mo more for each additional box.

[kpop88]

@whtviper1 - thanks and will do! i totally agree with the building design being totally out of place for the neighborhood but i do like the amenities, area and it provided an easy transition for us coming all the way from the east coast with pets. am hoping that all the amenities and having onsite property management will be worth the high rent, but they are offering some great "early bird specials" that made the decision to move there easier.

@pj737 - thank you for your extremely thorough response, this was very helpful.

i think it is worth asking the leasing agent if the sewer/water breakdown will be passed through as you say. i imagine with a june opening, they should have some idea of this by now.

as for electric, i had the same concerns as you did about a lack of cross ventilation. we are facing south on hawaii kai drive and although the windows do open up at the top, i imagine the sun could really heat up the unit. they do advertise that all appliances are energy efficient and i'm really hoping that's true!

hawaiian telcom seems to be more affordable than oceanic and they've also advertised discount rates through hawaiian telcom.

[whtviper1]

In ironic timing - your complex was all over the news last night and this morning.....

Before even moving in, tenants of affordable Hawaii Kai units se - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL

[kpop88]

That's really unfortunate! I'm in Boston now and I'd say many of our condos here are a mix between affordable and market priced units and I know it really benefits many in the community. I'm having hesitations about this project overall and this sure doesn't help, even though I'm not living in one of the affordable units. It just seems most of the rental inventory that's available is on the west side of the island and I'm really looking to stay in Kailua, Hawai'i Kai or town...

[pj737]

Originally Posted by kpop88

That's really unfortunate! I'm in Boston now and I'd say many of our condos here are a mix between affordable and market priced units and I know it really benefits many in the community. I'm having hesitations about this project overall and this sure doesn't help, even though I'm not living in one of the affordable units. It just seems most of the rental inventory that's available is on the west side of the island and I'm really looking to stay in Kailua, Hawai'i Kai or town...

The cost of construction and development is sky high in Hawaii... it just can't be compared to most any other place in the mainland US. The condo you are moving into is the only non-taxpayer subsidized, large-scale market rental project I have seen built in as long as I can remember. The developer is taking a huge risk.

The rents on 1,250 SF 3 bdrm/2 bath/1 parking units is $3,850 + $182 (4.72% GET) + utilities (likely about $450 between water, gas, internet and cable). If you want 2 parking stalls, it's another $50 + another $50 per pet (two max). If you need two parking stalls and have two pets, that's $4,632 all in for 1,250 SF.

This is what condos need to rent for if developers want to realize even a tiny return on investment. This is why nobody is building large-scale decent rental properties on Oahu We can't provide affordable housing here unless taxpayers foot half the cost to build and maintain them.

[Harpaint]

Our condo is older and has cross ventilation, but often that also lets in a lot of street noise. So we use fans a lot. We open windows at night to let the cool air in and close them before it warms up. It's amazing how much we've saved!