§521-61 Tenant's remedies for failure by landlord to supply possession. (a) If the landlord fails to put the tenant into possession of the dwelling unit in the agreed condition at the beginning of the agreed term:
(1) The tenant shall not be liable for the rent during any period the tenant is unable to enter into possession;
(2) At any time during the period the tenant is so unable to enter into possession the tenant may notify the landlord that the tenant has terminated the rental agreement; and
(3) The tenant shall have the right to recover damages in the amount of reasonable expenditures necessary to secure adequate substitute housing, the recovery to be made either by action brought in the district court or by deduction from the rent upon submission to the landlord of receipts totaling at least[:]
(A) The amount of abated rent; plus
(B) The amount claimed against the rent; or
(4) If the inability to enter results from the wrongful holdover of a prior occupant, the tenant may maintain a summary proceeding in the district court for possession.
(b) In any district court proceeding brought by the tenant under this section[,] the court may award the tenant substitute housing expenditures, reasonable court costs, and attorney's fees. [L 1972, c 132, pt of §1; am L 1976, c 90, §4; gen ch 1985]
Structure Hawaii Revised Statutes
521. Residential Landlord-Tenant Code
521-2 Purposes; rules of construction.
521-3 Supplementary general principles of law, other laws, applicable.
521-4 Construction against implicit repeal.
521-6 Territorial application.
521-7 Exclusions from application of chapter.
521-9 Notice, notification, knowledge, etc.
521-10 Duties; obligation of good faith.
521-22 Term of rental agreement.
521-31 Waiver; agreement to forego rights; settlement of claims.
521-32 Separation of rents and obligations to property forbidden.
521-33 Landlord's waiver of liability prohibited.
521-34 Authorization to confess judgment prohibited.
521-37 Subleases and assignments.
521-38 Tenants subject to rental agreement; notice of conversions.
521-39 Medical cannabis; tenant use; eviction.
521-41 Landlord to supply possession of dwelling unit.
521-42 Landlord to supply and maintain fit premises.
521-43 Rental agreement, disclosure.
521-45 Limitation of landlord and management liability.
521-51 Tenant to maintain dwelling unit.
521-52 Tenant to use properly.
521-54 Tenant to use and occupy.
521-55 Tenant's responsibility to inform landlord.
521-56 Disposition of tenant's abandoned possessions.
521-61 Tenant's remedies for failure by landlord to supply possession.
521-62 Tenant's remedy of termination at beginning of term.
521-63 Tenant's remedy of termination at any time; unlawful removal or exclusion.
521-64 Tenant's remedy of repair and deduction for minor defects.
521-65 Tenant's remedies for fire or casualty damage.
521-66 Tenant's right to refund of rent, etc., on termination; return of security deposit.
521-67 Tenant's remedy for failure by landlord to disclose.
521-68 Landlord's remedies for failure by tenant to pay rent.
521-69 Landlord's remedies for tenant's waste, failure to maintain, or unlawful use.
521-71 Termination of tenancy; landlord's remedies for holdover tenants.
521-72 Landlord's remedies for improper use.
521-73 Landlord's and tenant's remedies for abuse of access.
521-74 Retaliatory evictions and rent increases prohibited.
521-74.5 Recovery of possession limited.
521-77 Investigation and resolution of complaints by the office of consumer protection.
521-80 Early termination of tenancy; victims of domestic violence.
521-81 Change of locks; victims of domestic violence.