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Rent Regulations

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-10

Duties; obligation of good faith.

In Force
Verified 10/23/2026 · Next check 10/30/2026
effective 10/23/2026HawaiiLease Requirements

Operative Text

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-10
Every duty imposed by this chapter and every act which must be performed as a condition precedent to the exercise of a right or remedy under this chapter imposes an obligation of good faith in its performance or enforcement. [L 1972, c 132, pt of §1]
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-10 establishes that every duty and every condition required under Chapter 521—Hawaii's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code—must be carried out in good faith. This means that neither party may technically comply with the letter of a requirement while acting dishonestly, deceptively, or with an ulterior motive. The good-faith obligation applies both to performing duties and to enforcing rights or remedies under the chapter.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 23, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under § 521-10, property owners and managers are expected to carry out their Chapter 521 obligations—such as providing notices, making repairs, or applying lease conditions—honestly and without hidden or improper motives. A compliant operator generally documents actions transparently, applies rules consistently across tenants, and avoids using technical compliance as a cover for retaliatory or deceptive conduct. Courts and arbitrators may look to the good-faith standard when evaluating whether a landlord's actions under the chapter were legitimate.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Section 521-10 gives tenants a basis to challenge landlord conduct that, while perhaps technically within the rules, was carried out in bad faith—for example, a notice or condition imposed for an improper purpose. Tenants who believe a landlord has violated the good-faith obligation may raise it as a defense in a legal proceeding or as part of a complaint through Hawaii's court system. Tenant-rights organizations in Hawaii can help explain how the good-faith standard under § 521-10 has been applied in practice.

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.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 23, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-42
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-52
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-70
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-70
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-42
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-42
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-62
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-43
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-53
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-52
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-72
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-52
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-53
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-63
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-42
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-80
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-80
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-51
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-68
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44

Related Rules

§ 244.280
Tenant to be given copy of lease
§ 151.35
SEVERABILITY
§ 165.12
SEVERABILITY

Source Information

Source:https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0521/HRS_0521-0010.htm
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Fetched:Oct 23, 2026, 07:04 AM UTC
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