Many condo associations raised maintenance fees in 2009 to keep up with rising costs. As I wrote in my 2008 Honolulu Maintenance Fee Comparison, an association’s largest cost components typically include electricity, employee wages & benefits and insurance.
How do your building’s maintenance fees compare with similar buildings’ fees? To keep things simple, I like to compare cost per square foot. For example, if someone owned a 1000 sq. ft. apartment and their maintenance fee is $700 per month, their fee per square foot is $.70. It’s not possible to completely compare apples to apples because every building provides a different set of amenities. Here are the maintenance fee costs per square foot of living space for some buildings located in Kakaako and Downtown.
| Condominium | Fee / Sq. Ft. |
| Harbor Court | $.98** |
| Hawaiki Tower | $.50 |
| Hokua at 1288 Ala Moana | $.76 |
| Imperial Plaza | *** |
| Ko’olani | $.60 |
| Moana Pacific | $.63 |
| Nauru Tower | $.66 |
| One Waterfront Towers | $.70 |
**Some listings indicate individual apartment electricity may be included in the Harbor Court maintenance fee. In most buildings, owners pay for their electricity usage in addition to the maintenance fee.
***Calculated several different figures for various Imperial Plaza apartments.
