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Rent Regulations

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-5

Severability.

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

Operative Text

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-5
If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this chapter are severable. [L 1972, c 132, pt of §1]
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-5 establishes a severability rule for the state's residential landlord-tenant code. Under this provision, if any single part of the chapter is found legally invalid by a court, that invalidity is contained — it does not automatically invalidate the rest of the chapter. The remaining provisions continue in full force as long as they can operate independently of the invalidated portion.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Section 521-5 of Hawaii's landlord-tenant law is a structural safeguard rather than an operational requirement, so it does not impose direct compliance duties on property owners or managers. Its practical significance is that other provisions of Chapter 521 — such as those governing security deposits, disclosures, or habitability — remain enforceable even if a separate part of the chapter is struck down. Operators who stay current with the enforceable provisions of Chapter 521 are generally positioned to maintain compliance regardless of any legal challenges to other parts of the statute.

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

For Tenants

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-5 means that a court ruling against one part of Hawaii's landlord-tenant chapter does not erase the protections found elsewhere in that chapter. Tenant rights related to habitability, notice, or security deposits, for example, remain intact under Chapter 521 even if an unrelated provision is invalidated. Tenants who believe their rights under Chapter 521 have been violated can explore options such as raising the relevant provision as a defense in a legal proceeding or contacting a local tenant-rights organization for general information.

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_0521-0005.htm
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Fetched:Oct 23, 2026, 07:03 AM UTC
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