RR
Rent Regulations

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-2

Purposes; rules of construction.

In Force
Verified 10/23/2026 · Next check 10/30/2026
effective 10/23/2026HawaiiLease Requirements

Operative Text

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-2
(a) This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies.
(b) The underlying purposes and policies of this chapter are:
(1) To simplify, clarify, modernize, and revise the law governing the rental of dwelling units and the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants of dwelling units;
(2) To encourage landlords and tenants to maintain and improve the quality of housing in this State; and
(3) To revise the law of residential landlord and tenant by changing the relationship from one based on the law of conveyance to a relationship that is primarily contractual in nature. [L 1972, c 132, pt of §1]
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-2 establishes the foundational purposes behind Hawaii's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code. The law is designed to modernize and simplify the rules governing rental housing, encourage both parties to maintain and improve housing quality, and reframe the landlord-tenant relationship as primarily a contractual one rather than one rooted in older property-conveyance law. Courts and agencies are directed to interpret the chapter broadly and generously in order to advance these goals.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 23, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under § 521-2, Hawaii's landlord-tenant law is built on a contractual framework, meaning that the rights and duties of property owners are generally understood through the lens of the rental agreement and the statute together. Compliant operators typically treat their lease terms as enforceable contractual commitments and recognize that courts will read the chapter's provisions broadly to promote housing quality and tenant protections. Familiarity with this interpretive foundation helps property managers understand why ambiguous provisions in the code tend to be resolved in favor of the chapter's stated purposes.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Section § 521-2 signals that Hawaii's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code is meant to be read broadly and in favor of its protective purposes, which can be relevant when a dispute arises over how a particular provision applies. Because the law frames the rental relationship as primarily contractual, tenants generally have the ability to point to both the lease terms and the statute when asserting their rights. Tenant-rights organizations in Hawaii can help renters understand how this interpretive principle may bear on a specific situation under the code.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 23, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 23, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-42
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-52
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-70
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-70
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-42
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-42
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-62
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-43
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-53
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-52
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-72
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-52
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-53
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-63
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-42
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-80
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-80
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-68
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44

Related Rules

§ 244.280
Tenant to be given copy of lease
§ 151.35
SEVERABILITY
§ 165.12
SEVERABILITY

Source Information

Source:https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0521/HRS_0521-0002.htm
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Fetched:Oct 23, 2026, 07:03 AM UTC
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