Hawaii: Rent Increase Notice Requirements

Hawaii's periodic-tenancy notice rule

Hawaii distinguishes monthly from shorter periodic tenancies. Under HRS §
521-21(d), a landlord may not increase month-to-month rent without 45
consecutive days' written notice before the effective date. Under subsection
(e), a tenancy shorter than month-to-month requires 15 consecutive days'
written notice.

The statute requires a writing but prescribes no special statewide form,
additional content fields, or service method in the increase subsections. The
clock runs to the effective date of the increase.

Amount, frequency, and fixed terms

Hawaii sets no general statewide percentage or CPI formula for the ordinary
residential increase covered here. Section 521-21 also states no separate
once-per-year frequency limit; the notice period must be satisfied for each
covered increase.

The 45- and 15-day increase provisions address periodic tenancies. For a fixed
term, § 521-21(a) permits the parties to agree on rent, and subsection (b)
makes rent payable at the agreed time and place. Read the fixed lease and any
adjustment provision rather than treating periodic-tenancy notice as a power to
rewrite the agreed term.

Retaliation is a distinct protection. HRS § 521-74(a) bars a landlord from
demanding an increase after the listed good-faith complaints or repair
requests, subject to the exceptions in subsection (d). That is not a general
amount cap on every increase.

Common questions

Is Hawaii's notice period 45 or 15 days?

It is 45 consecutive days for a month-to-month tenancy and 15 consecutive days
for a tenancy shorter than month-to-month.

Does a large increase require more notice?

Not under § 521-21(d)-(e). The notice period changes with the tenancy's
length, not the percentage increase. A local rule may differ.

Does Hawaii state special damages for short notice?

Section 521-21 states the notice condition but no rent-increase-specific
damages amount. Retaliation and other contractual or statutory claims must be
evaluated separately.

Statutes and sources

• HRS § 521-21. Agreed rent and 45- or 15-day written increase notice.
  Official statute
  (accessed July 12, 2026).
• HRS § 521-74. Retaliatory rent demands and statutory exceptions.
  Official statute
  (accessed July 12, 2026).