Hawaii landlords can no longer jump straight from an unpaid rent notice to the courthouse. A new statewide law now requires them to alert local mediation centers the same day they serve tenants with an eviction notice for nonpayment of rent, giving renters a brief window to ask for free, state-funded mediation before a case heads toward court. The change rolled out in early February as a two-year pilot intended to keep more households in place while disputes are worked out outside the courtroom.
Known as Act 278, the program is a two-year pilot that took effect on Feb. 5, 2026, and lengthens the notice period for nonpayment evictions to 10 calendar days before a landlord can move toward court. Under guidance from the Hawaii State Judiciary, landlords must give tenants that written notice and send a copy to the appropriate community mediation center on the same day, or they risk limits on their ability to file a summary possession action for unpaid rent.
How the pilot works
Once the notice is served, tenants have 10 calendar days from the day they receive it to request mediation. According to centralized guidance from the Mediation Centers of Hawaiʻi, mediations are supposed to move quickly, generally scheduled within 10 days of intake and wrapped up within 30 days of initial contact. If a tenant gets a mediation on the calendar, the landlord must hold off on filing a summary possession action for a defined period while the mediation is underway, as detailed in the bill text for SB825, which became Act 278. The sessions are free for both sides and can include language interpretation and remote participation options.
What mediation centers are seeing so far
Mediation centers say the phones lit up almost as soon as the law kicked in. As reported by Hawaii News Now, Maui Mediation Services has already fielded about 25 inquiries from landlords across Maui County, while the Mediation Center of the Pacific in Honolulu has taken in roughly 250 notices. Staff say outreach is time sensitive because both landlords and tenants are on tight clocks to respond, request help, and get sessions on the books.
Why lawmakers expanded the Maui pilot
State lawmakers point to earlier local efforts that showed high agreement rates and strong housing retention, which helped convince them to take a Maui-style pilot statewide. The rollout builds on programs such as Act 57 and the Early Eviction Mediation initiative, which Maui Now reports helped preserve housing for about 90% of participating tenants. Supporters say the broader goal is to cut down on court backlogs and encourage faster, mutually negotiated solutions instead of having every unpaid-rent dispute land in an eviction filing.
Legal implications
In practical terms, landlords who skip the required notice and same-day submission steps could see their cases blocked at intake or tossed out altogether. The Judiciary guidance is explicit that a landlord cannot file first and sort out mediation later. Official forms and FAQs are available through the Hawaii State Judiciary, and the law keeps a judge's authority intact to enforce any mediated agreements or to hear a summary possession case if mediation breaks down. Legal-aid groups caution that mediation does not wipe out unpaid rent, but it can lead to structured repayment plans or agreed move-out timelines that avoid an immediate eviction.
Landlords and tenants looking for help are directed to the statewide intake portal and island mediation centers listed on mediationcentersofhawaii.org, while The Mediation Center of the Pacific posts specific scheduling and contact information for Oʻahu residents on its site. Maui Mediation Services continues to field calls and emails for local assistance, and the Judiciary will track data over the two-year pilot to decide whether the program should continue. For now, the new timeline gives tenants a narrow but clearly defined chance to work out unpaid-rent disputes before they turn into immediate court action.
