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Rent Regulations

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-55

Tenant's responsibility to inform landlord.

In Force
Verified 10/23/2026 · Next check 10/30/2026
effective 10/23/2026HawaiiHabitability & Repair

Operative Text

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-55
Any defective condition of the premises which comes to the tenant's attention, which the tenant has reason to believe is unknown to the landlord, and which the tenant has reason to believe is the duty of the landlord or of another tenant to repair, shall be reported by the tenant to the landlord as soon as practicable. [L 1972, c 132, pt of §1; gen ch 1985]
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-55 establishes a communication obligation that runs from tenant to landlord: when a tenant becomes aware of a defective condition on the rental premises, believes the landlord does not already know about it, and believes it is the landlord's (or another tenant's) responsibility to fix, the tenant is required to report it as soon as practicable. The rule is designed to ensure landlords have timely notice of conditions they may need to address. It does not relieve the landlord of any underlying repair duty; it simply creates a corresponding reporting duty on the tenant's side.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-55, compliant operators generally maintain open, accessible channels—such as a written maintenance request process or a dedicated contact number—so tenants can easily fulfill their reporting obligation. Documenting the date and substance of any defect report a tenant submits helps establish the timeline of notice, which can be relevant if a repair dispute arises later. Operators who acknowledge tenant reports promptly and track follow-up actions tend to demonstrate the kind of responsiveness that aligns with the broader duties set out in Hawaii's residential landlord-tenant code.

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. § 521-55 gives tenants a clear procedural role: once you notice a defective condition you believe the landlord doesn't know about and is responsible for repairing, the law calls for reporting it as soon as practicable. Keeping a written record of that report—such as a dated text message, email, or letter—can be useful if questions later arise about when notice was given. Tenants who want to understand how this reporting duty interacts with their broader rights under Hawaii's landlord-tenant law may find it helpful to consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid office familiar with Chapter 521.

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

§ 244.260
Compliance required
§ 14.567
ADOPTED BY REFERENCE
§ 244.340
Sewer and water connections

Source Information

Source:https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0521/HRS_0521-0055.htm
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Fetched:Oct 23, 2026, 07:06 AM UTC
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