KAILUA — Security may be increased at an apartment complex on Kailua Road where residents are vacating in anticipation of redevelopment and homeless people are trying to move in.

With dozens of tenants moving from the Kailua Road apartments, empty units are beginning to attract the homeless, especially when the rain forces people off the beach and away from unprotected areas.

The apartments in the complex include Kailua Arms, Kailua Palms, Coral Apartments, Countryside Apartments, Kailuan Apartments and Town and Country Apartments.

Ken Moniz, resident manager for the Kailua Arms, said he's had to scare off a few potential squatters and underage drinkers since people began leaving three to four months ago. Of the 78 units in the complex, only 28 remain occupied, Moniz said.

"I just fear because they light up candles," Moniz said. "It's a battle, and this weekend we're going to get rain. I'm going to get it again."

Moniz downplayed the problem but said he was meeting with a security company to discuss the issue.

"It's more of an annoyance because I have to keep chasing them out," he said. "And then we have a lot of these young kids come in here, and they're drinking."

The youths scatter when they see Moniz, who said the drinkers are a potential liability issue if they get hurt on the property.

The Kailua Arms is one of six complexes with 217 affordable units that are scheduled to be torn down this year. The Arms is the only complex that seems to be having trouble as residents from the other units said they were unaware of any problems.

Annette Yamamoto, resident manager at Town and Country Apartments, said she's taken preventive measures to ensure residents' safety. More than half of the 48 units are occupied, Yamamoto said.

"As tenants move out, we're required to close units, board them up and lock them up," Yamamoto said. "We check periodically and then security (is expected to) start."

D.R. Horton Schuler Homes, which purchased the 6.5 acres of land under the buildings, said in January that it intends to raze the structures and construct 160 to 180 condominiums.

The apartments are under an EPA decree to vacate by the end of the year because they use large-capacity cesspools, which were outlawed in 2005. The EPA struck a deal with land and apartment owners to allow occupation until the ground lease for the apartments run out later this year.

All of the units must be emptied by September, and the cesspools must be closed by the end of the year, said Bob Bruhl, vice president of O'ahu Development of D.R. Horton Schuler.

Bruhl said between 50 percent to 60 percent of the apartments are occupied. The Coral Apartments have 25 units, and fewer than 10 are rented, he said.

After closing the cesspools, demolition can take place and hopefully by mid-2008, construction and sales can begin, Bruhl said.

"But really, we don't look for the first move-ins until the second half of '09," he said.

Bruhl said he's not aware of any problems with squatters, but the company is considering having someone check out the premises.

"We're thinking it might be good every now and then to provide the resident manager a little backup and have the empty units peeked at to make sure everything is OK," he said. "That's what we're considering at this time, but we have not hired anyone yet."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.