{"id":2087,"date":"2026-07-02T05:35:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T05:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2087"},"modified":"2026-07-02T05:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T05:35:21","slug":"lahaina-leader-warns-fire-survivors-of-hiring-unlicensed-contractors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2087","title":{"rendered":"Lahaina leader warns fire survivors of hiring unlicensed contractors"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<section>\n<p>LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) &#8211; Waterman Archie Kalepa is working with state leaders to crack down on unlicensed contractors, particularly those he says are taking advantage of victims of the 2023 Lahaina fire disaster.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2085\">Soccer fans cheer poolside as US advances in World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kalepa said he paid Shane Haas, 39, approximately $200,000 for repairs to his home \u2014 work he says was not up to code and was left partially unfinished. Kalepa has since filed a lawsuit against Haas.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Your house would have burned down\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Kalepa said he first encountered Haas at a Home Depot, where Haas told him he was a contractor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI walked into Home Depot, ran into Shane Haas, and I asked Shane Haas, \u2018What are you doing?\u2019 and he said, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m building homes\u2019 and my first question to him is, \u2018Are you a contractor?\u2019 and he said, \u2018Yes. I\u2019m a contractor,\u201d&#8217; Kalepa said.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>After hiring a licensed electrician to inspect the completed work, Kalepa said the problems were significant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHired my own contractor electrician, and he had to reopen all the walls. Following all the problems, he said your house would have burned down,\u201d said Kalepa.<\/p>\n<h2>Attorney responds; prior convictions revealed<\/h2>\n<p>Haas\u2019 attorney, Myles Breiner, said Kalepa knew his client was unlicensed and that Kalepa is equally at fault. Breiner said they \u201cintend to vigorously defend this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Records show Haas has prior convictions for felony theft, harassment and insurance fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2083\">77 UH Manoa athletes make Academic All-Big West list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>State agency, licensed contractor weigh in<\/h2>\n<p>The state\u2019s Department of Commerce &amp; Consumer Affairs (DCCA) said it has not received a formal complaint regarding Haas but noted it receives hundreds of similar complaints each year. DCCA is now using Kalepa as a spokesperson to highlight the issue.<\/p>\n<p>Licensed General Contractor Edward Vares, president of Vares Contracting, said one of the most common warning signs is a contractor claiming to work under someone else\u2019s license.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the biggest thing I\u2019ve heard of and have seen ourselves personally in our practice is the phrase, \u2018working under someone\u2019s license\u2019 or \u2018using someone\u2019s license,\u2019 does not exist whatsoever. That means nothing,\u201d Vares said.<\/p>\n<h2>Survivors push for tougher penalties<\/h2>\n<p>Lahaina fire survivor Douglas Reynon, 81, said he is also a victim.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cFor us kupuna we can take it to a certain point,\u201d Reynon said. \u201cIt\u2019s not too good. Not for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kalepa said he and Reynon are hoping for tougher penalties for those posing as licensed contractors, especially during disasters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to rebuild our community in a time when we lost it all, and the individuals that lost everything are continuing to lose by people just like this,\u201d Kalepa said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2081\">DHHL opens applications for first-ever high-rise rental units in Honolulu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To check if someone is licensed, click here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Waterman Archie Kalepa is working with state leaders to crack down on unlicensed contractors, particularly those he says are taking advantage of victims of the 2023 Lahaina fire disaster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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