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Rent Regulations

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-4

Construction against implicit repeal.

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

Operative Text

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-4
This chapter being a general law intended as a unified coverage of its subject matter, no part of it shall be deemed to be impliedly repealed by subsequent legislation if such construction can reasonably be avoided. [L 1972, c 132, pt of §1]
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-4 establishes a rule of legal interpretation: because Chapter 521 (the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code) is designed as a comprehensive, unified body of law, courts and agencies should not treat later-enacted legislation as silently canceling or overriding any part of it unless there is no reasonable way to read the two laws as compatible. This is a canon of statutory construction, not a substantive right or obligation. It helps preserve the integrity of the landlord-tenant code as a whole when new laws are passed.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under § 521-4, the Hawaii Residential Landlord-Tenant Code is treated as a cohesive framework, meaning that operators generally cannot assume a newer, unrelated statute has quietly eliminated a tenant protection or landlord obligation found in Chapter 521. Compliant property managers stay current with the full text of Chapter 521 rather than relying on assumptions that later legislation has changed its requirements. When a new state law appears to touch on rental housing, it is worth examining whether it expressly modifies Chapter 521 or simply operates alongside it.

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

For Tenants

Section 521-4 means that the protections and procedures established throughout Hawaii's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code are designed to remain intact even as the legislature passes new laws over time. If a landlord argues that some newer statute has eliminated a right found in Chapter 521, this provision signals that courts will look for ways to preserve both laws rather than assume the older protection was quietly erased. Tenants who believe their Chapter 521 rights are being disregarded may find it useful to contact a local tenant-rights organization or legal aid office for general information about how this interpretive rule applies.

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
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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_0521-0004.htm
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Fetched:Oct 23, 2026, 07:03 AM UTC
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