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BYU-Hawaii 55-667A
Wahinepee St. Landlord: Mike
& Sally Foley |
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Availability (as of July 24, 2008) |
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BYU-Hawaii 55-667A
Wahinepee St. Landlord: Mike
& Sally Foley |
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Availability (as of July 24, 2008) |
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Description:
The main
rental unit (closer door above) contains three bedrooms with single
beds for five BYU-Hawaii single female students (you supply your own
linen),
dressers and closets; two bathrooms, a dining area, living room, full kitchen
with appliances and utensils; wireless
Internet connections, standard cable TV and a service area with washer, dryer and covered clothes
lines. Tenants may lock their bicycles in the service area. There is enough
space
in front of the house and in the front yard to park 4-5 cars (one-per-tenant
maximum, but on-property parking is not guaranteed nor included in the
rent).
We also have a studio apartment (the farther door in the picture above) available for two single female BYU-Hawaii students. The studio includes two single beds, dressers, a kitchenette including full-size refrigerator, microwave oven and hot plate (no stove). Like many studios in America, the beds, kitchenette and living area comprise one room, with a separate bathroom. Studio tenants share the washer and dryer in the service area with the larger unit.
The rental units are located at 55-667A Wahinepee Street on the Kahuku end of Laie. It takes about 10-15 minutes to walk from here to BYU-Hawaii. There is a small café and neighborhood convenience store right across the street (15 seconds away). World-famous Hukilau Beach is just across Kamehameha Highway (about 2-3 minutes walk). Laie Shopping Center — which includes banks, several fast food outlets, a pharmacy, full-service U.S. Post Office, beauty salon, nail salon, dentist, optometrist, hardware store, and a major super market — is about a 10-minute walk. There is a City & County circle-island bus stop about 2 minutes away from the house. Off-campus students in our area attend BYU-Hawaii 1st Ward, which meets in the new student multi-stake center on campus. The student stake center is on the campus-side of the Laie Hawaii Temple.
Sally and I have lived in the other half of this house (our unit is just beyond the dolphin mural in the picture above) for over 25 years, and in Laie for even longer. We are both BYU-Hawaii alumni. Sally is a second-grade teacher at Kahuku Elementary School, which is three miles up the road toward the North Shore; and I am a freelance marketing communications specialist working out of a home office. Incidentally, Sally's the one who does the monthly inspections.
Rental
Rates and Conditions:
Rental rates as of Summer Term 2008 are:
April — or the end of Winter Semester — and August are the only months that are pro-rated for rent (i.e. a tenant moving in or out pays $11 per day — $12/day for the private room). Spring and Summer term tenants pay two months rent. Full rent is due for December and January. Unless we agree to make separate arrangements, students leaving in those months must vacate their units no later than the Saturday following the end of the term (please note: most BYU-Hawaii terms end on a Friday), which is the same policy used with on-campus housing. Students moving in cannot take possession until at least the Saturday before (i.e. the same day departing students leave). For example, a student staying through Spring Term cannot remain in the unit for another week beyond the end of school, since new summer students have to move in for their term which begins a few days later.
Current tenants — or the friends of current tenants — are given preference for remaining in the units for new terms, if they give sufficient notice. Among current tenants, seniority is given preference.
All tenants must sign the BYU-Hawaii Off-Campus Landlord/Tenant agreement, which lists two dozen rules and practices. For example, no men (including family members) can stay overnight. We also have our own additional rules which each tenant must sign. For example, female guests may stay overnight, but only if all the other tenants agree, and the guest pays a $5/night service fee. All BYUH students must agree to abide by the university's Honor Code, including the Dress and Grooming Standards, both on and off campus.
Because we have had several negative experiences with students committing to stay in our apartments — at which time we turn away everyone else interested — and then bail out at the last minute, we may require a non-refundable deposit. When the tenant moves in, this advance deposit becomes the regular security deposit; but is forfeit if the tenant is a no-show for any reason. We are not looking to make money off deposits, by the way: We are simply trying to accommodate those seriously interested in staying here, while protecting our own time and property.
Availability (as of July 24, 2008 ):
VERY IMPORTANT: We ALWAYS give preference to the friends of current tenants. Consequently, unless almost all of the tenants are leaving at one time, it's difficult for potential tenants not already living in Laie to rent one of our spaces, but it happens once in a rare while. We also give preference to junior and senior women who want to stay for longer than one term or semester.
Please note, when there's an anticipated vacancy, we work within these preferences on a first-come first-served basis. WE DO NOT KEEP WAITING LISTS or respond to requests asking us to notify people about vacancies. Quite frankly, it's hard to rent from us if you're not already in the area.
Also please note, we do NOT rent to non-BYUH students or married couples, in accordance with BYU-Hawaii approved housing policies.
Why then, you may ask, do we have this web site? Because it's a quicker way to respond to the dozens of inquiries we get; and once in a rare while we do rent to someone not currently in Laie. We also realize searching for accommodations around here can be frustrating. We're not without sympathy, so we try to help by providing the general information below.
Because of the volume of e-mails and phone calls we sometimes receive, please be aware that this website essentially covers all our basic information. For example, please do not e-mail us back and ask if we have an opening — that information is covered above. If someone is leaving, and the other tenants do not have a friend, then I will so indicate on the web site, but such vacancies have been rare in the five years we've been doing this. This is why we may not respond further to any enquiry. 98% of the info we've got is right here, and we update this site frequently.
General
comments and advice about renting in Laie:
An article in the Honolulu Advertiser pointed
out that off-campus student housing for all universities in
Hawaii is hard to find; and as you probably already know, the
rental market in Laie is tight and
has been practically since BYU-Hawaii was founded in 1955.
That's why there's usually a waiting list to get into the university's
single-student dorms and married-student housing. For one reason,
when they become upper-classmen, some students who have been
living in the dorms are eligible and want to move off-campus.
Some think their living costs will be less than board-and-room
on campus, but Sally and I are not particularly convinced. Both of us
were dorm students, and we loved the experience of living on
campus in those days, because we were close to the center of
action and classes. Anyhow, when former dorm students want
to move off-campus, as happens every semester, it's also difficult
for them to find housing in Laie; consequently, it's even
more difficult to try to do it from the mainland U.S. or other locations.
Over the past few years we have received many e-mails and phone calls from students who have been accepted to BYU-Hawaii and/or their concerned parents asking if we know of any other openings. Almost always the answer is NO: We might hear of one or two other openings a year — maybe; otherwise, sorry, but we simply do not pay attention to what other landlords in this area are doing.
If you are frustrated over looking for a vacancy, here is the advice we have given to others:
First, make sure you check with all of the landlords or their representatives listed on the BYUH housing list. Some of them manage quite a few units (as opposed to our small number of spaces), with regular turnover each semester.
Second, check the Internet. You'll be surprised at how many listings there are in this area, but of course, many of these are for short-term vacation rentals which charge high rents. Beyond Laie, there is a succession of small communities that each have rental properties. Going toward the north shore, in a widening radius these include Kahuku, Turtle Bay (Kuilima condos), Kawela, Sunset Beach, Pupukea, and Haleiwa. Going toward Kaneohe in a widening radius these include Hauula, Punaluu, Kahana, Kaaawa, Kahaluu, Ahuimanu and Valley of the Temples. Of course, living in any of these places would require transportation — either a car, or the public bus that runs along Kamehameha Highway every half-hour and currently costs $2 per ride (monthly passes are available).
Our best advice: If you or someone you know is willing and able to come to Laie, check the bulletin boards at Laie Shopping Center, the BYU-Hawaii Aloha Center, the Hauula Kai Center, Kahuku Superette store, and the Kahuku Sugar Mill (shopping center). Roommate vacancies are occasionally posted in those places, but they never stay up for long. Of course, this is a problem if you don't know anyone here who has the time to do it.
We're sorry we cannot help beyond offering this advice.
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| The
living room... |
Kitchen
and dining areas... |
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| The
private bedroom... |
Laundry
and service area... |
The
studio |
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MAHALO
(thanks) :
...for your interest in our home. Even if you don't stay with us, but you
come to Laie, we hope you love it as much as we do. For more information
on
Laie, read back issues of our local newspaper: Kaleo
o Koolauloa;
or here's lots more information
on BYU-Hawaii.
