Hawaii Landlord Repair Duties & Habitability Rights (2026)

What a landlord must fix, and your options when they do not

At a glance

• Core duty: HRS § 521-42 — 房东义务：维持 fit and habitable、遵守健康/住房法规、防水防风雨、维护 plumbing、供热、电气、防虫害、common area。
• Notice before acting: 修复期限：关键系统 3 个营业日、一般违约 12 个营业日、政府引用违规 7 个日历日（521-64）。
• Governing authority: HRS § 521-42

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers the landlord's duty to maintain a habitable home in Hawaii, and what you can do when repairs go unmade.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conditions you caused yourself (which are treated differently).

The landlord's duty

HRS § 521-42 — 房东义务：维持 fit and habitable、遵守健康/住房法规、防水防风雨、维护 plumbing、供热、电气、防虫害、common area。

夏威夷有法定 implied warranty of habitability（521-42），不可由租约放弃。

HRS § 521-42 ↗

What the duty covers in practice

Notice and time to cure

修复期限：关键系统 3 个营业日、一般违约 12 个营业日、政府引用违规 7 个日历日（521-64）。

HRS § 521-64 ↗

Your remedies when repairs go unmade

Landlord entry rules

HRS § 521-53 — 至少 48 小时（2 天）通知（比多数州 24 小时更严格）；紧急情况可无通知。

HRS § 521-53 ↗

When the duty does not apply

缺陷系租客/家人/经其同意的他人造成的，房东无义务（521-42/521-64）。

HRS § 521-42 ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
HRS § 521-42	2026-10-16	official text ↗
HRS § 521-64	2026-10-16	official text ↗
HRS § 521-63	2026-10-16	official text ↗
HRS § 521-53	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Hawaii guides

Hawaii Security Deposit Return · Hawaii Security Deposit Rules · Hawaii Eviction Process · Hawaii Rent Increase Rules · Hawaii Landlord Retaliation

→ All Hawaii tenant rights topics

Common questions