We recently vacated our unit at Lilia Waikiki after being forced out due to uninhabitable living…read moreconditions caused by their negligent maintenance team. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes §521-42, landlords are required to maintain rental premises in a habitable condition at all times during the tenancy -- a legal obligation Brookfield Properties has failed to meet.
In early June 2026, maintenance came to replace a microwave and discovered warped floorboards. Over the course of a week they cut 10 holes throughout our unit walls searching for the source of the leak while running a commercial DrizAir 1200 dehumidifier continuously -- with zero protective coverings placed over any furniture, belongings, or surfaces. This caused pervasive drywall dust and particulate matter contamination throughout our entire unit -- into our mattresses, couch, closets, cabinets, dresser drawers, and all personal belongings. This continued until we vacated on June 18, 2026. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes §521-42, landlords are required to maintain rental premises in a habitable condition at all times during the tenancy. Brookfield Properties has failed to meet this obligation.
Both of our queen Tuft & Needle mint hybrid mattresses, cloud couch, air purifiers/new filters, and many other items were completely destroyed and not salvageable. Our brand new Dyson air purifier filters were depleted within a single week -- filters designed to last 9-12months under normal conditions.
When we reported the uninhabitable conditions in writing and proposed a mutual lease termination, management denied it and claimed the equipment posed no health risk -- despite visible contamination throughout the entire unit. It took weeks of emails, formal notices citing HRS §521-42, and threatening legal action before they finally came back and offered to mutually dissolve the lease -- without any financial compensation. This was after almost a month where we could barely use our own apartment and had to pay out of pocket for alternative housing/hotels and moving costs.
We asked for a full refund of June rent since the unit was essentially uninhabitable the entire month starting June 2, 2026, plus partial reimbursement for the property damage they caused -- not even the full amount, or any of the additional costs caused by their negligence, which we felt was more than fair given the extent of the damage and the financial burden this placed on us. They have yet to agree to those reasonable terms.
To date our total damages -- including June rent, last-minute moving costs, temporary housing costs due to being displaced from a non-livable environment, and property damage -- amount to approximately $29,000. Should we be required to continue paying July and August rent, that number will increase to approximately $41,000. These damages are a direct result of the negligence of Lilia Waikiki/Brookfield Properties, who failed to properly contain drywall dust during the repair and ran fans/dehumidifier throughout the process, causing widespread contamination of our unit.
We have thorough documentation and recordkeeping of all correspondence, photos, videos, photographic documentation of air purifier readings showing hazardous air quality levels, and photo and video documentation of the severe property damage to our mattresses, couch, and other personal belongings throughout this matter.
We do not recommend this building to anyone.