HRS §521-65
What to do if fire or disaster damages your rental
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗If a fire or other disaster (not your fault) makes your rental unusable, you can move out and end the lease, or stay and pay less rent for the part you can use. You must tell the landlord in writing within a week if you move out.
tenants
The statute, as written — Tenant's remedies for fire or casualty damage
A copy, taken August 20, 2026. The version published by the Legislature is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
When the dwelling unit or any part of the premises or appurtenances reasonably necessary to the benefit and enjoyment thereof is rendered partially or wholly unusable by fire or other casualty which occurs without wilful fault on the part of the tenant or a member of the tenant's family, the tenant may: (1) Immediately quit the premises and notify the landlord of the tenant's election to quit within one week after quitting, in which case the rental agreement shall terminate as of the date of quitting, but if the tenant fails to notify the landlord of the tenant's election to quit, the tenant shall be liable for rent accruing to the date of the landlord's actual knowledge of the tenant's quitting or impossibility of further occupancy; or (2) If continued occupancy is otherwise lawful, vacate any part of the premises rendered unusable by the fire or other casualty, in which case the tenant's liability for rent shall be no more than the fair rental value of that part of the premises which the tenant continues to use and occupy.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.