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Rent Regulations

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-35

Attorney's fees.

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

Operative Text

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521 § 521-35
(a) A rental agreement may provide for the payment by the tenant of the costs of a suit, for unpaid rent, and reasonable attorney's fees not in excess of twenty-five per cent of the unpaid rent after default and referral to an attorney not a salaried employee of the landlord or the landlord's assignee.
(b) A rental agreement may further provide that reasonable attorney's fees and costs may be awarded to the prevailing party in all other matters arising under this chapter.
(c) A provision in violation of this section is unenforceable. [L 1972, c 132, pt of §1; gen ch 1985; am L 1986, c 103, §1]
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-35 governs when and how attorney's fees clauses may appear in residential rental agreements. Under subsection (a), a lease may require a tenant to pay litigation costs and attorney's fees for unpaid-rent disputes, but only if the fees are capped at twenty-five percent of the unpaid rent and the attorney is not a salaried employee of the landlord. Subsection (b) allows a lease to provide for attorney's fees to the prevailing party in any other dispute arising under Chapter 521. Any fee provision that exceeds these boundaries is rendered unenforceable by subsection (c).

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Landlords and property managers operating under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-35 should ensure that any attorney's fees clause in their rental agreements stays within the statutory limits. For unpaid-rent matters, the clause must cap fees at no more than twenty-five percent of the unpaid rent and must specify that the attorney is not a salaried employee of the landlord or its assignee. For other disputes under Chapter 521, a prevailing-party fee provision is permissible, but any clause drafted beyond these parameters is void and unenforceable.

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

For Tenants

Under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-35, tenants have a statutory protection against overreaching attorney's fees clauses in their leases. If a landlord attempts to collect attorney's fees that exceed twenty-five percent of unpaid rent, or that were earned by a salaried employee of the landlord, that provision is unenforceable under subsection (c). Tenants who believe a fee clause in their rental agreement violates § 521-35 may raise the violation as a defense in court proceedings or seek guidance from a local tenant-rights organization familiar with Hawaii's residential landlord-tenant law.

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
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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_0521-0035.htm
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Fetched:Oct 23, 2026, 07:04 AM UTC
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