HRS 521-42: Hawaii Landlord Duty to Supply Fit Premises
Statute text last checked: October 23, 2026
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Check your Hawaii lease →HRS 521-42 is the section of Hawaii's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code requiring a landlord to supply and maintain fit premises throughout the tenancy.
Landlord duties (521-42(a))
- Comply with applicable building and housing laws materially affecting health and safety.
- Keep common areas of multi-unit premises clean and safe.
- Make all repairs and arrangements needed to put and keep the premises habitable.
- Keep landlord-supplied electrical, plumbing, and other facilities and appliances in good working order, subject to reasonable wear and tear.
- Except for a single-family residence, provide rubbish receptacles and frequent removal, and supply running water as reasonably required (unless the building isn't required by law to be equipped for it).
Move-in inventory (521-42(a))
- Before initial occupancy, the landlord must inventory the premises and make a written record of its condition and any furnishings or appliances, signed by both sides, with a copy to each tenant.
- If the landlord doesn't make the inventory, the condition at the end of the tenancy is rebuttably presumed to be the same as at move-in.
Tenant-performed repairs (521-42(b))
- A tenant may agree to do specified repairs, maintenance, or minor remodeling only if the agreement is in good faith and not to evade the landlord's obligations, the work isn't needed to cure the landlord's noncompliance with building and housing laws, and it doesn't reduce the landlord's obligations to other tenants.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Hawaii landlord have to do a move-in inventory?
Yes. HRS 521-42(a) requires a written, signed inventory of the premises' condition before initial occupancy. Without one, the condition at move-out is rebuttably presumed to match move-in.
Can my Hawaii lease make me responsible for repairs?
Only under the conditions in HRS 521-42(b): the agreement must be in good faith, not cover work needed to fix the landlord's building or housing law violations, and not reduce the landlord's duties to other tenants.
Sources
- HRS § 521-42 (official text)
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