Hawaii Deceased Tenant Estate and Landlord Coordination Packet
HAWAII DECEASED TENANT ESTATE AND LANDLORD COORDINATION PACKET
Before use: HRS § 521-85 applies after the death of the tenant or all tenants if there were several. The landlord's notice must go to a tenant-designated representative by registered mail and any other supplied contact method, or to the estate at the dwelling if no written designation exists. A family member becomes a representative for this section only under subsection (b)'s stated conditions; relationship alone does not make the person an estate fiduciary or personally liable for rent.
Tenant and representative record
| Item | Supporting record and result |
|---|---|
| Dwelling, lease, all tenants and death dates | [ADDRESS / LEASE / RECORDS] |
| Written tenant designation, mailing address and other contact methods | [DOCUMENT / NAME / DETAILS] |
| If no designation: estate notice at dwelling, court-order claimant, or family member who comes forward under § 521-85(b) | [NOTICE / DOCUMENT / RELATIONSHIP / GATE] |
| Monthly rent, ledger and rent-paid-through date | [AMOUNT / LEDGER / DATE] |
| Notice mailing or personal-delivery date | [DATE / REGISTERED MAIL / PROOF] |
| Fifteen-calendar-day date and later rent-paid-through date | [DATE / DATE / LATER DATE] |
| Property, deposit and other claimants | [INVENTORY / AMOUNT / DOCUMENTS] |
A. Representative: written contact and removal request
Date: [__/__/____] To landlord: [NAME / ADDRESS]
I am [NAME], the ☐ tenant-designated property representative under [WRITTEN DESIGNATION] ☐ court-order representative under [ORDER] ☐ family member who has come forward under HRS § 521-85(b), because [NO WRITTEN DESIGNATION / DESIGNATED OR ESTATE REPRESENTATIVE HAS NOT COME FORWARD]. My mailing address and other contacts are [DETAILS]; my supporting document or relationship record is attached.
I received your § 521-85 notice on [DATE] and contact you within fifteen calendar days after its mailing or personal delivery. I request reasonable access to [UNIT] on [DATE / TIME] or [ALTERNATE] solely to remove the deceased tenant's personal property. I will coordinate an inventory, removal and surrender of the unit. Please tell me the rent-paid-through date and identify any competing court appointment or claim. My role under this section does not itself make me liable for rent or appoint me as a general estate representative.
Representative signature: ______________________________ Date: [__/__/____]
Delivery record: [METHOD / DATE / PROOF]
B. Landlord: statutory death notice
Notice date: [__/__/____] To: ☐ tenant-designated representative [NAME / ADDRESS] ☐ estate of [DECEASED TENANT] at [DWELLING ADDRESS] because no written designation exists.
The deceased tenant was [NAME] of [DWELLING ADDRESS]. The approximate death date is [DATE]. ☐ The tenant designated you in writing to collect or dispose of personal property after death. ☐ This notice is addressed to the estate because no written designation is available. The monthly rent is [AMOUNT], and rent has been paid through [DATE].
The tenancy will terminate on the later of fifteen calendar days after this notice is mailed or personally delivered, [DATE], or the rent-paid-through date, [DATE]. The calculated later date is [DATE]. Please contact [LANDLORD NAME / PHONE / ADDRESS] within fifteen calendar days of mailing or delivery if you seek reasonable access to remove the deceased tenant's property. If you qualify as the representative and timely contact me, I will arrange that access.
Upon termination of the tenancy, I may address remaining property that I determine in good faith to have value by a commercially reasonable sale, storage at the estate's expense, or donation to a charitable organization, subject to HRS § 521-85. Property of no value is addressed separately under subsection (g). Please identify any court order or other supported property claim before disposition.
Landlord signature: ______________________________ Date: [__/__/____]
Delivery: ☐ registered mail to designated representative [TRACKING / DATE] and other supplied contact method [DETAIL] ☐ notice to estate at dwelling [METHOD / DATE / PROOF].
C. Access, removal and surrender receipt
Appointment and unit: [DATE / TIME / ADDRESS]. Representative: [NAME / DESIGNATION, ORDER OR SUBSECTION (b) BASIS]. Landlord: [NAME].
| Item | Identification and condition | Removed or remains |
|---|---|---|
| [ITEM] | [PHOTO / DETAIL] | [STATUS / LOCATION] |
| [ITEM] | [PHOTO / DETAIL] | [STATUS / LOCATION] |
Removal completion and surrender date: [DATE / KEYS / PROOF]. This receipt records custody and surrender only; it does not settle title to disputed property or appoint an estate fiduciary.
Representative signature: ____________________ Landlord signature: ____________________ Date: [__/__/____]
D. Landlord: property and deposit decision record
| Gate | Evidence and action |
|---|---|
| Death of all tenants, correct representative or estate recipient, complete § 521-85(c) notice | [RECORD / COPY / DELIVERY] |
| Fifteen-day representative contact and access request; reasonable access and surrender opportunity | [DATES / RESPONSE / APPOINTMENT] |
| Later-of tenancy-termination date after notice and paid-through date | [DATE / REVIEWER] |
| Remaining property separately inventoried; good-faith value judgment and authorized sale, storage or donation only after termination | [INVENTORY / VALUE / DECISION] |
| Sale proceeds less permitted accrued rent and storage, advertising and sale costs; trust for representative for thirty calendar days | [LEDGER / TRUST / DATES / PAYMENT] |
| Property of no value, if any, documented apart from property of value | [DESCRIPTION / BASIS / DATE] |
| Deposit: termination date and representative's property-removal date; applicable § 521-85(h) fourteen-day trigger selected and reviewed | [DATE / DATE / DEADLINE] |
| § 521-44 written retention reasons, cost evidence and balance to representative or estate | [ITEMIZATION / RECEIPTS / RECIPIENT / DELIVERY] |
Reviewer and next lawful step: [NAME / DATE / DECISION]. This record does not confer authority to remove, sell or discard property before the applicable statutory condition is met.
About this template
- Last updated
- October 3, 2026
- Citations checked
- October 3, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Hawaii
- Category
- Landlord & Tenant
Legal authority
- HRS § 521-85
- HRS § 521-44
Landlord-tenant paperwork governs who can stay in a property, on what terms, and what happens when something goes wrong. Leases, notices to quit, security deposit demands, and habitability complaints all have state and often city-specific requirements for timing, content, and service. Getting the paperwork right is what makes an eviction actually succeed or a security deposit actually come back, because judges regularly dismiss cases over small procedural mistakes.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 3, 2026.
HRS § 521-85(a) (checked October 3, 2026): "a tenant may designate the name and contact information, including mailing address, of a representative authorized by the tenant to collect or dispose of the tenant's personal property within the dwelling unit if the tenant dies during the tenancy."
HRS § 521-85(b) (checked October 3, 2026): "Upon the death of the tenant or, in the case of multiple tenants, the death of all tenants, the landlord shall contact the representative by registered mail and any other contact information provided by the tenant"
HRS § 521-85(b) (checked October 3, 2026): "In the absence of a written designation of a representative by the deceased tenant, the landlord shall send notice to the estate of the deceased tenant at the address of the dwelling unit."
HRS § 521-85(b) (checked October 3, 2026): "If upon delivery of the notice to the estate, an individual comes forward and provides the landlord with a court order evidencing the individual's authority to act as a representative for the deceased tenant, the individual shall be considered the representative for the purposes of this section."
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