Happy Tax Day (if any tax day can be happy) and welcome to another edition of Rent Free . This week’s stories include:
- Single-stair reform takes a big step forward in Austin, Texas.
- Parking reform advances in Washington.
But first, our lead item on a permitting story from hell that shows just how thin America’s property rights protections can be.
Hawaii Homeowner Goes Through Permit Hell After County Tells Him His Decades-Old Home Is Illegal
When Shahzaad Ausman purchased a small seaside home in Captain Cook, Hawaii, in 2021, he had every reason to believe that it was a perfectly legal dwelling.
The home was first built in 1987 and the original owner had lived in it for years without incident.
The second owner Ausman was purchasing the home from had recently obtained a remodeling permit in 2020 to make repairs and alterations…