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Maui Affordable Housing Waitlists: How They Work (2026)

Posted by benjamen.harper@gmail.com on May 20, 2025
Maui
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There is no single Maui affordable housing waitlist. Each affordable rental or for-sale project runs its own application and lottery, and a handful of separate programs (Section 8, Hawaiian Home Lands, fire-recovery housing) keep their own lists. Getting housed usually means applying to several of them, watching for new openings, and knowing which income bracket you fall into before you start.

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You’ll see figures online like “2,500 people on the Maui waitlist” or “a 3 to 5 year wait.” We couldn’t find an official source for either, and since every project keeps its own list, there isn’t one number that would tell you your odds. Here’s how the system actually works as of October 2026.

Start with your income bracket

Almost every program sets eligibility as a percentage of Area Median Income (AMI), which comes from HUD and is published locally each year by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) and the County of Maui Department of Housing. For 2026, HHFDC’s Maui County table puts 100% AMI for a family of four at $148,000.

2026 Maui County, 4-person householdAnnual income limit
60% AMI$88,800
80% AMI$118,400
100% AMI$148,000
120% AMI$177,600
140% AMI$207,200
Source: HHFDC 2026 Maui County income limits. Limits are lower for smaller households; for one person, 80% AMI is $82,880 and 100% AMI is $103,600.

Roughly speaking, tax-credit rental projects serve households at 30% to 60% AMI, while county-supported workforce rentals and for-sale homes reach up to 140% AMI. The county also publishes annual Affordable Sales and Rental Guidelines that translate these brackets into maximum rents and sale prices. Know your bracket first. It decides which lists are worth your time.

How project lotteries work

Most new affordable housing on Maui is built by private or nonprofit developers using a mix of county, state and federal money. When a project is close to opening, the developer or its property manager opens applications, then holds a lottery to set the order in which applicants are screened. Maui County residents usually get priority. After lease-up, leftover applicants often stay on that project’s waitlist.

Hale O Pi’ikea in Kihei is a recent example. It has 223 rentals across three phases for households at 30% to 60% AMI, with one phase for seniors 55 and older. According to Maui Now, the first phase’s lottery drew more than 1,200 applications for about 90 units, and waitlists remain open for future vacancies. That ratio is a fair picture of the demand.

More projects are in the pipeline. In fiscal year 2027 the county’s Affordable Housing Fund awarded about $79.5 million to 12 projects that together are expected to produce more than 900 units, and the county took applications for its FY 2028 round in fall 2026. Each of those projects will run its own application window when it gets close to completion.

The other lists worth knowing

  • Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Run by the County Department of Housing. The waitlist opens only occasionally, for a short window, and places are assigned by random lottery, so applying early doesn’t help. The last opening listed on the county’s site was a five-day window in June 2023. Call the Federal Housing Programs Division to ask about current status.
  • Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL). For applicants with at least 50% Hawaiian blood quantum. Maui Now reported in October 2025 that about 29,300 people are on DHHL lists statewide, and that Maui had 3,947 residential applicants as of December 2023. DHHL has been awarding large batches of leases on Maui, including about 1,100 project leases for four developments (Kamalani in Kihei, Waiehu Mauka, Wailuku Single-Family and Villages of Leiali’i in Lahaina), with first homes expected from 2028 onward.
  • Fire-recovery housing. Programs like the state’s Ka La’i Ola modular community in Lahaina, the county’s Ho’okumu Hou program and the Lahaina Community Land Trust’s homebuyer portal are limited to households displaced by the August 2023 fires. They aren’t open to the general public.
  • County homebuyer help. The Department of Housing runs a First-Time Homebuyers Assistance Program and resells some deed-restricted homes. These open in rounds, so check the department’s site.

How to actually get on the lists

  1. Figure out your AMI bracket using the current HHFDC or county table, counting everyone in your household.
  2. Get your paperwork ready now. Tax returns, pay stubs, IDs and Social Security numbers for everyone in the household. Lottery windows can be short.
  3. Watch for openings. New lotteries are announced on the County Department of Housing site (mauicounty.gov/housing), by property managers such as Mark Development, and in local news like Maui Now.
  4. Apply to every project you qualify for. Each one is a separate lottery. Being on one list doesn’t put you on another.
  5. Keep your contact info current. If a manager can’t reach you when your number comes up, you can lose your spot.

If you’re just over the limit

A lot of working households on Maui earn too much for tax-credit rentals but can’t comfortably buy at market prices. That gap is real. In September 2026 the Realtors Association of Maui reported a median condo price of $660,000 and a median single-family price of $1.15 million. Condos, especially older ones, are where most first-time buyers end up, and county down payment help can close some of the distance. It’s worth running the numbers both ways, on a lottery unit and on the open market, before deciding which path to wait for.

FAQ

How long is the wait for affordable housing on Maui? There’s no official average. It depends on the project, your income bracket and where your lottery number lands. Applying to more projects is the only real way to shorten it.

Do I have to live on Maui to apply? Usually not to apply, but most county-supported projects give priority to current Maui County residents. Read each project’s rules.

Is there one place to sign up for everything? No. Each project, Section 8 and DHHL all keep separate lists. The county housing department’s website is the closest thing to a central place to check.

Can I buy an affordable home and rent it out later? Generally no. For-sale affordable homes come with deed restrictions on occupancy and resale. Read the restrictions before you apply.

Questions about buying or selling in Hawaii? Call or text 808-866-6593, or start here →

Sources

General information as of October 2026, not legal or financial advice. Income limits, programs and application windows change; always confirm details with the County of Maui Department of Housing or the project’s managing agent.