Hawaii: Landlord Entry Notice Requirements

Requirements one by one

Governing law

Hawaii's entry rule is Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-53 ("Access"), part of Hawaii's Residential
Landlord-Tenant Code (HRS chapter 521). It is a closed scheme: subsection (c) says the
landlord "shall have no other right of entry, except by court order, unless the tenant
appears to have abandoned the premises, or as permitted by section 521-70(b)" (which
concerns a tenant's extended absence). The section dates to 1972 and has not changed in
substance since.

Advance notice required

Except for the exceptions below, "the landlord shall give the tenant at least two days
notice of the landlord's intent to enter and shall enter only during reasonable hours"
(§ 521-53(b)). Two days is a longer default than the 24 hours most states use — Hawaii is
one of the few two-day-notice states. The same rule covers showings; Hawaii has no
separate, shorter figure for exhibiting the unit.

Reasons a landlord may enter

Section 521-53(a) lists the purposes: to inspect the premises; make necessary or agreed
repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements; supply services as agreed; or exhibit
the unit to prospective purchasers, mortgagees, or tenants. Hawaii's exhibit clause is
narrower than many states' — it does not add "workers or contractors." Because subsection
(c) forecloses any other entry, that list is effectively the whole menu (absent a court
order, apparent abandonment, or the § 521-70(b) extended-absence entry).

Permitted hours

The landlord "shall enter only during reasonable hours" (§ 521-53(b)). Hawaii uses a
reasonableness standard rather than a fixed clock or a "business hours" cap.

When no notice is needed

Two things lift the two-day-notice duty: entry "in case of emergency or where impracticable
to do so" (§ 521-53(b)). Beyond those, subsection (c) allows entry only by court order, when
"the tenant appears to have abandoned the premises," or as permitted by § 521-70(b), which
addresses the landlord's access during a tenant's extended absence.

Tenant's remedies for unlawful entry

Section 521-53(b) commands that the landlord "shall not abuse this right of access nor use it
to harass the tenant," but the access section carries no penalty of its own. The Code's
strong money remedy is aimed at lockouts, not mere entry: if the landlord "removes or excludes
the tenant from the premises overnight without cause or without court order," the tenant may
recover possession or terminate and recover "an amount equal to two months rent or free
occupancy for two months, and the cost of suit, including reasonable attorney's fees"
(§ 521-63(c)), plus any injunctive relief the court deems proper. For a wrongful entry that is
not an overnight exclusion, the tenant's recourse is a common-law trespass or quiet-enjoyment
claim.

What trips people up

Hawaii's default is two days, not 24 hours. Many online guides quote a flat 24-hour figure
for every state. Hawaii requires "at least two days notice" for a routine entry (§ 521-53(b)) —
longer than the common benchmark.

"Impracticable" is an exception alongside emergency. The two-day notice is excused not only
for a genuine emergency but also "where impracticable to do so" (§ 521-53(b)). That covers a
real inability to give notice, not ordinary inconvenience.

"No other right of entry" is exclusive. Apart from the listed purposes on two days' notice,
the landlord may enter only by court order, when you appear to have abandoned the unit, or under
§ 521-70(b) during an extended absence (§ 521-53(c)). There is no general inspect-at-will right.

Common questions

How much notice does my Hawaii landlord have to give before entering? At least two days'
notice, and entry only during reasonable hours (§ 521-53(b)) — unless it is an emergency or
giving notice is impracticable.

Can my landlord enter without notice in an emergency? Yes. Section 521-53(b) excuses the
two-day notice "in case of emergency or where impracticable to do so."

For what reasons can my landlord enter? To inspect, make necessary or agreed repairs or
improvements, supply agreed services, or show the unit to a prospective purchaser, mortgagee,
or tenant (§ 521-53(a)).

What can I do if my landlord keeps entering without notice? The landlord may not abuse the
right of access or use it to harass you (§ 521-53(b)). A wrongful entry can support a
common-law trespass or quiet-enjoyment claim; an unlawful overnight lockout carries a stronger
statutory remedy of two months' rent plus costs and attorney's fees (§ 521-63(c)).

Statutes and sources

• Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-53 — the access section of Hawaii's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code: the tenant's duty not to unreasonably withhold consent to listed entries (a); the no-abuse rule and the two-day-notice / reasonable-hours requirement, excused for emergency or impracticability (b); and the "no other right of entry" limit — court order, apparent abandonment, or the § 521-70(b) extended-absence entry (c).
  https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0521/HRS_0521-0053.htm (accessed 2026-07-11)
• Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-63 — the Code's termination-and-damages remedies, including subsection (c)'s two-months'-rent (or two months' free occupancy) remedy plus costs and attorney's fees for a landlord's unlawful overnight removal or exclusion of the tenant.
  https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0521/HRS_0521-0063.htm (accessed 2026-07-11)