Haw. Rev. Stat. § 516 § 516-71
Residential lease; disclosure.
Operative Text
(a) Except as otherwise provided for in this section, for any sale of a leasehold residential lot, no later than ten calendar days after the acceptance of the deposit, receipt, offer, and acceptance contract (DROA) or other similar contract, the seller shall directly or through the seller's agent provide to the buyer, a copy of the original recorded lease and any amendments thereto for the buyer's approval and acceptance. A sale for the purposes of this subsection shall not be deemed to include any transfer to a co-owner, or to a spouse or reciprocal beneficiary, parent or child of the seller, or to any stranger by devise, descent, court order, or by operation of law, including, but not limited to, any transfer by foreclosure, bankruptcy, or partition sale. Upon receipt of the original lease and amendments thereto, the buyer shall have ten calendar days to review, accept, or reject the terms of the lease. (b) In addition to the requirements set forth in subsection (a), the buyer shall acknowledge receipt of the lease documents specified under subsection (a) through a signed receipt or a signed DROA or other contract. The receipt or contract shall include at least the following information: (1) A standardized summary, as set forth on the optional standardized summary form in this chapter, or in a form similar to the optional standardized summary form, of the lease provisions in plain language which shall contain information on the following: the length of the lease, lease rent terms, lease rent renegotiation dates, how renegotiated lease rents will be calculated; and surrender clause provisions; (2) A standardized glossary, satisfied by use of a Hawaii governmental publication, of commonly used lease terms in plain language; and (3) A statement that the buyer has read and understands the provisions of the standardized summary of the lease provisions. (c) Within ten calendar days of acknowledged receipt of the contract specified in subsection (a), the buyer shall have the right to cancel the offer to purchase with no loss of deposit. (d) The seller and buyer, on a standardized form, may agree to reduce or extend the time period provided herein for production and review of the applicable lease documents; provided that the agreement shall not constitute a waiver of the requirement to provide the applicable lease documents to the buyer. Buyers other than natural persons may waive, in writing, all the requirements of this section. [L 1989, c 168, §3; ree L 1990, c 277, pt of §1; am L 1991, c 276, §3; am L 1997, c 383, §63]
Hawaii Revised Statutes § 516-71 governs the disclosure process when a leasehold residential lot is sold. Within ten calendar days of a signed purchase contract, the seller must deliver the original recorded lease and all amendments to the buyer, who then has ten days to review and either accept or reject those terms. The buyer must also receive a plain-language summary of key lease provisions, a standardized glossary of lease terms, and must sign an acknowledgment of receipt; within ten days of that acknowledged receipt, the buyer may cancel the purchase without forfeiting any deposit.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 516-71, sellers of leasehold residential lots and their agents generally ensure that the original recorded lease and all amendments are delivered to the buyer within ten calendar days of contract acceptance. Compliant sellers also prepare or obtain a plain-language lease summary covering items such as lease length, rent terms, renegotiation dates, and surrender clauses, along with a standardized glossary, and secure a signed acknowledgment from the buyer confirming receipt of those materials. Sellers should also be aware that the parties may use a standardized form to adjust the production and review timeline, though doing so does not eliminate the underlying obligation to provide the lease documents.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 516-71 gives buyers of leasehold residential lots the right to receive the full original lease and any amendments within ten calendar days of signing a purchase contract, along with a plain-language summary and glossary of key lease terms. Buyers have ten calendar days after acknowledging receipt of those documents to cancel the purchase offer with no loss of deposit, making this review window a meaningful consumer protection. Buyers who believe a seller has not complied with § 516-71's disclosure requirements may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or housing attorney to understand what remedies or defenses may be available to them.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 23, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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