Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

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Read More Abandoned Items Left in the Unit When a tenant abandons his or her possessions in a dwelling unit, the landlord must make a determination of property that has value and property without value. The landlord must do this in good faith. For property without any value, Hawaii law allows the landlord to dispose of the property. For property with value, ...
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Read More Termination When the landlord or tenant wants to terminate the rental agreement, they must know the type of rental agreement that they have, whether it’s a week-to-week or month-to-month tenancy or a fixed lease for a fixed period of time. Each type of rental agreement has a different termination notice requirement by law. However, for ...
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6/16/12 ...
Read More Lockouts & Turning Off Utilities Hawaii law strictly prohibits the landlord from taking part in any self-help activities in order to remove the tenant from the dwelling unit after the termination of the rental agreement. One form of self-help activitiy is a lockout. A lockout is considered as an act of preventing the tenant from entering the dwelling ...
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Read More Failure to Pay Rent The Residential Landlord/Tenant Code states that the rent shall be paid at the time and place agreed to by the landlord and the tenant. The law does not provide the tenant a grace period for late rent payments. If the tenant does not pay all or part of the rent on the agreed due ...
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Read More Repairs to a Unit By law, the landlord is obligated to make repairs due to normal wear and tear or perform any maintenance required, as time goes by. In all repair cases, the landlord has a good faith requirement to start the repairs as soon as possible. However, Hawaii law also states that the tenant is responsible to ...
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Read More Security Deposit The security deposit is monies paid by or for the tenant. It cannot exceed one month’s rent and it could include other deposits, such as key or pet deposits. The landlord can use the security deposit for unpaid rent, failure to return keys, cleaning costs if the tenant did not leave the unit in ...
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1/15/13 ...
Read More Landlord/Tenant Code Handbook The Hawaii Residential Landlord/Tenant Code Handbook is published by the State of Hawaii, Office of Consumer Protection. If you wish to purchase a copy of the handbook, it is available at the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs in the King Kalakaua Building at 335 Merchant Street in the Cashier’s office on the ...
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1/15/13 ...
Read More Motor Vehicle Repairs Don’t let an unlicensed mechanic or repair dealer steer you wrong. In Hawaii, motor vehicle repair dealers and mechanics must be licensed by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs before they can work on the mechanical parts of your car. Licensing is enforced by RICO, the Regulated Industries Complaints Office. To find ...
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1/15/13 ...
Read More Used Car Sales and Warranty Law Hawaii’s Used Car Sales and Warranty Law protects consumers who buy used vehicles from motor vehicle dealer in Hawaii. The law requires motor vehicle dealers to provide consumers with written information about any known material mechanical defects that may affect the safety and use of a motor vehicle. The law also requires dealers ...
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1/15/13 ...
Read More Buying a Used Car Buying a car – new or used – can be exciting! RICO offers the following information to help steer you in the right direction! First, do some research before leaving the house…think about the car model and the options you want, so you have an idea of how much you will need to ...
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