The founder of a squalid downtown office building converted into unlicensed apartments now faces his own eviction complaint for allegedly failing to pay rent on the luxury Kakaʻako condo where he lives.

Landlord Eiko Takano on Monday filed eviction proceedings against Honolulu developer Chad Waters, whose own failed attempts to evict tenants have led to street protests and outcry on social media. The complaint alleges Waters failed to pay $5,000 due Dec. 1 for the three-bedroom, two-bathroom condo in the Waihonua at Kewalo building on Waimanu Street near Ala Moana Center.

The building’s amenities include a private movie theater, infinity-edge swimming pool, barbecue pavilions and a fitness center.

The eviction complaint alleges the landlord notified Waters of the missed rent payment on Dec. 12, and that Waters still hadn’t paid by Thursday. The complaint asks for a court order to turn the property over to the landlord and have law enforcement officers remove Waters from the property, which the document indicates he shares with his wife, Jamie Shibata Waters, and their child — the standard requests in an eviction complaint.

Waters did not return calls for comment. The landlord’s lawyer, Areg Sarkissian, declined to comment through a spokesman for his firm. 

The eviction case comes with Waters at the center of turmoil involving 1136 Union Mall, a derelict downtown office building where dozens of residents have been living without electricity since early October. In April 2024, Waters and partner Scott Bingo acquired the nine-story office building, which at the time was home to stable commercial tenants, including law firms, a high-end video production company and a pilates studio. But the building started going downhill after Waters began moving residential tenants into office suites.

Commercial tenants moved out as Waters and his Union Mall Development Group LLC moved in dozens of residential tenants, even though Waters and Union Mall Development lacked permits to use the offices as residences. Residents complained of a lack of kitchens and showers. First, the building’s air-conditioning was turned off, later the electricity and elevators.

One resident likened the building to a “hell hole.”

Things took a turn for the worse in November. With state judges dismissing Union Mall Development’s attempts to remove the tenants through the legal eviction process, Union Mall Development hired a team of workers to block access to the building and remove tenants.

At one point, when a tenant tried to return to her unit after Union Mall Development agreed to dismiss her eviction case, Union Mall Development employees nonetheless blocked her access to the building, wrestled her to the ground and hit her in the head with a large tripod. Honolulu police officers arrested social media personality and Union Mall Development employee Elijah Kāla McShane on harassment charges after the incident. 

While 1136 Union Mall residents have lived in squalor, with holes in walls, no electricity, under threat of water shutoffs and illegal removals by Union Mall Development employees, the property’s founder, Waters, has been holed up at one of Honolulu’s more exclusive addresses.

“Every detail is perfectly thought out at Waihonua,” the property’s website says. “Let’s start at the top with the recreation deck — a favorite place to spend time with family and friends and enjoy a stunning view. Relax in a poolside cabana, take a soak in the spa, or grill up some fresh island fish and veggies on the barbeque.”

There’s also “a lawn where you can practice yoga.”

Waters Faces Foreclosure On Downtown Building

Waters has been the focus of street protests for his alleged responsibility in mismanaging 1136 Union Mall, but has said he’s not involved in its day-to-day operations. 

Waters was the founder of Union Mall Development Group, but he eventually stepped down from the company, business registration records show, leaving Bingo and two Honolulu doctors, Jasim and Aiza Alidina, as Union Mall Development’s member-managers. The Alidinas stepped down earlier this month, business registration records indicate.

Although Waters is now officially just the Union Mall Development’s agent, according to business registration records, he faces financial woes beyond his alleged failure to pay rent on his condo. When Waters and Bingo paid $6.5 million to buy 1136 Union Mall in April 2024, records show, they borrowed $5.2 million from the seller, Tomoya Tsuruhara, with the loan secured by the building.

In May, Tsuruhara sued to foreclose on the mortgage, alleging that, nearly a year after taking out the loan, Waters and Bingo had yet to make a payment. While the foreclosure case proceeds, with Waters and Bingo named as loan guarantors, Tsuruhara has asked a state judge to appoint a third party to manage 1136 Union Mall to prevent it from falling into further disarray. A hearing on that request is scheduled for Jan. 15.

A hearing on the eviction case against Waters is scheduled for Jan. 9.

“Hawaiʻi’s Changing Economy” is supported by a grant from the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation as part of its work to build equity for all through the CHANGE Framework.