(a) The funds in the general operating account of the association shall not be commingled with funds of other activities such as lease rent collections, rental, time share, and assisted living facility operations, nor shall a managing agent commingle any association funds with the managing agent’s own funds.

Attorney's Note

Under the Hawaii Revised Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class C felonyup to 5 yearsup to $10,000
For details, see Haw. Rev. Stat. § 706-660
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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-149

  • Association: means the unit owners' association organized under section 514B-102 or under prior condominium property regime statutes. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Commission: means the real estate commission of the State. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Common elements: means :

    (1) All portions of a condominium other than the units; and

    (2) Any other interests in real estate for the benefit of unit owners that are subject to the declaration. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3

  • Condominium: means real estate, portions of which are designated for separate ownership and the remainder of which is designated for common ownership solely by the owners of those portions. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Declaration: means any instrument, however denominated, that creates a condominium, including any amendments to the instrument. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • majority of the unit owners: means the owners of units to which are appurtenant more than fifty per cent of the common interests. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Managing agent: means any person retained, as an independent contractor, for the purpose of managing the operation of the property. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • master lease: means any deed or lease showing the extent of the interest of the person submitting the property to the condominium property regime. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Person: means an individual, firm, corporation, partnership, association, trust, or other legal entity, or any combination thereof. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Project: means a real estate condominium project; a plan or project whereby a condominium of two or more units located within the condominium property regime are created. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
  • Unit: means a physical or spatial portion of the condominium designated for separate ownership or occupancy, the boundaries of which are described in the declaration or pursuant to § 514B-35, with an exit to a public road or to a common element leading to a public road. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 514B-3
(b) For purposes of subsection (a), lease rent collections and rental operations shall not include the rental or leasing of common elements that is conducted on behalf of the association or the collection of ground lease rents from individual unit owners of a project and the payment of such ground lease rents to the ground lessor if:

(1) The collection is allowed by the provisions of the declaration, bylaws, master deed, master lease, or individual unit leases of the project;
(2) A management contract requires the managing agent to collect ground lease rents from the individual unit owners and pay the ground lease rents to the ground lessor;
(3) The system of lease rent collection has been approved at a meeting of the association by a vote of a majority of the unit owners; and
(4) The managing agent or association does not pay ground lease rent to the ground lessor in excess of actual ground lease rent collected from individual unit owners.
(c)

(1) All funds collected by an association, or by a managing agent for any association, shall be:

(A) Deposited in a financial institution, including a federal or community credit union, located in the State, pursuant to a resolution adopted by the board, and whose deposits are insured by an agency of the United States government;
(B) Held by a corporation authorized to do business under article 8 of chapter 412;
(C) Held by the United States Treasury;
(D) Purchased in the name of and held for the benefit of the association through a securities broker that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, that has an office in the State, and the accounts of which are held by member firms of the New York Stock Exchange or National Association of Securities Dealers and insured by the Securities Insurance Protection Corporation; or
(E) Placed through a federally insured financial institution located in the State for investment in certificates of deposit issued through the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service in federally insured financial institutions located in the United States.
(2) All funds collected by an association, or by a managing agent for any association, shall be invested only in:

(A) Deposits, investment certificates, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit;
(B) Obligations of the United States government, the State of Hawaii, or their respective agencies; provided that those obligations shall have stated maturity dates no more than ten years after the purchase date unless approved otherwise by a majority vote of the unit owners at an annual or special meeting of the association or by written consent of a majority of the unit owners;
(C) Mutual funds comprised solely of investments in the obligations of the United States government, the State of Hawaii, or their respective agencies; government money market funds; or shares or units of another mutual fund satisfying the requirements of this subparagraph; provided that those obligations shall have stated maturity dates no more than ten years after the purchase date unless approved otherwise by a majority vote of the unit owners at an annual or special meeting of the association or by written consent of a majority of the unit owners; or
(D) Certificates of deposit issued through the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service in an amount at least equal in their market value, but not to exceed their par value, to the amount of the deposit with the depository;

provided that before any investment longer than one year is made by an association, the board must approve the action; and provided further that the board must clearly disclose to owners all investments longer than one year at each year’s association annual meeting.

Records of the deposits and disbursements shall be disclosed to the commission upon request. All funds collected by an association shall only be disbursed by employees of the association under the supervision of the association’s board. All funds collected by a managing agent from an association shall be held in a client trust fund account and shall be disbursed only by the managing agent or the managing agent’s employees under the supervision of the association’s board.

(d) A managing agent or board shall not, by oral instructions over the telephone, transfer association funds between accounts, including but not limited to the general operating account and reserve fund account.
(e) A managing agent shall keep and disburse funds collected on behalf of the condominium owners in strict compliance with any agreement made with the condominium owners, chapter 467, the rules of the commission, and all other applicable laws.
(f) Any person who embezzles or knowingly misapplies association funds received by a managing agent or association shall be guilty of a class C felony.

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