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HRS §521-2

How to read and use this landlord-tenant law

This section explains how courts should interpret the landlord-tenant law. It says the law should be read broadly to support its goals: making the rules clear and modern, encouraging good housing, and treating the landlord-tenant relationship as a contract. It does not create any specific rights or duties.

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The statute, as written — Purposes; rules of construction

(a) This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies. (b) The underlying purposes and policies of this chapter are: (1) To simplify, clarify, modernize, and revise the law governing the rental of dwelling units and the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants of dwelling units; (2) To encourage landlords and tenants to maintain and improve the quality of housing in this State; and (3) To revise the law of residential landlord and tenant by changing the relationship from one based on the law of conveyance to a relationship that is primarily contractual in nature.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.