RR
Rent Regulations

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-81

Change of locks; victims of domestic violence.

In Force
Verified 10/23/2026 · Next check 10/30/2026
effective 10/23/2026HawaiiVAWA & Survivor Protections

Operative Text

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-81
(a) Subject to subsections (b) and (c), if a tenant of a dwelling unit or an immediate family member of the tenant has been the victim of domestic violence and the tenant does not elect to be released from the rental agreement pursuant to section 521-80, the tenant may require the landlord to change the locks to the dwelling unit by submitting a request to the landlord to do so.
(b) Within three days of the receipt of the request in subsection (a), the landlord shall change the locks at the tenant's expense. If the landlord fails to act within the three-day period, the tenant may change the locks without the landlord's permission and shall give the landlord a key to the new locks.
(c) If the person who committed domestic violence against the tenant or immediate family member of the tenant is also a party to the rental agreement, the locks shall not be changed unless there is a court order requiring the person to vacate the dwelling unit and a copy of the order has been furnished to the landlord.
(d) The tenant shall not be required to pay any additional rent, fees, or security deposit because of the exclusion of the person who committed domestic violence from the dwelling unit.
(e) The person who committed domestic violence against the tenant or immediate family member of the tenant shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief against the landlord or the tenant who in good faith complies with this section. [L 2015, c 220, pt of §1]
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-81 establishes a process by which a tenant who has experienced domestic violence — or whose immediate family member has — can request that a landlord change the locks on the dwelling unit. The landlord must complete the lock change within three days of receiving the request, at the tenant's expense; if the landlord does not act in time, the tenant may change the locks independently and must then provide the landlord a copy of the new key. When the person who committed the domestic violence is also on the lease, a court order requiring that person to vacate must be provided to the landlord before any lock change can occur. The tenant cannot be charged extra rent, fees, or an additional security deposit as a result of excluding the abusive party from the unit.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under § 521-81, landlords who receive a lock-change request from a qualifying domestic-violence victim are generally expected to complete the change within three business days of receipt, charging only the actual cost to the tenant. When the alleged abuser is also a co-tenant on the rental agreement, operators typically verify that a court order requiring the abuser to vacate has been provided before proceeding with any lock change. Landlords who act in good faith in compliance with § 521-81 are shielded from damages or other claims brought by the person who committed the domestic violence.

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

For Tenants

Section § 521-81 gives tenants who are domestic-violence victims — or whose immediate family members are — the right to request a lock change from their landlord without facing extra rent, fees, or security deposit charges as a result. If the landlord does not act within three days of receiving the written request, the statute permits the tenant to change the locks independently, with the obligation to provide the landlord a new key. Tenants navigating this process may find it helpful to consult a local tenant-rights organization or legal aid office to understand how documentation requirements, such as a court order when the abuser is a co-tenant, apply under § 521-81.

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

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-80

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

§ 25
Refusal of rental agreement or assistance based on termination of rental agreement under Sec. 24 or request for change of lock under Sec. 26 prohibited
§ 26
Change of locks upon request of tenant, co-tenant or household member believed to be under imminent threat of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault or stalking
§ 47a-7b
Request to change dwelling unit locks when tenant is named as a protected person in a protective or restraining order.

Source Information

Source:https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0521/HRS_0521-0081.htm
Snapshot SHA:
Fetched:Oct 23, 2026, 07:08 AM UTC
Raw bytes:Download from R2 →