Hawaiʻi renters could soon see stronger protections and clearer information about their rights, after state House lawmakers this week advanced a pair of tenant-focused bills aimed at cutting confusion and softening the blow of redevelopment.
One proposal would require a short, translated notice of tenant rights to be handed out when leases are signed. The other would force certain housing developers to help cover relocation costs and give displaced tenants first crack at new units. Backers say the measures are targeted fixes designed to prevent avoidable homelessness as new projects move in and longtime residents get pushed out.
Both bills cleared the House on March 12 and are now headed to the Senate, according to Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Lawmakers have repeatedly pointed to one key figure to explain the urgency: roughly 40% of Hawaiʻi residents rent their homes. Meanwhile, the state’s Landlord-Tenant Information Center has been fielding about 5,000 calls a year, testimony shows, underscoring the demand for clearer rules and guidance; see Civil Beat for the hearing record.
Short, multilingual tenant notice
HB1776 would require the Office of Consumer Protection to create a concise, multilingual “notice of tenant rights” and keep it updated. Landlords would have to give this notice to renters when they sign a rental agreement, in both printed and electronic formats.
Under the bill, the office must translate the notice into the most commonly spoken languages in the state and ensure it remains accessible for people with disabilities. It also mandates an annual review and update, so the notice does not fall out of step with any changes to the law. The specific disclosure requirements and implementation details are laid out in HB1776.
Relocation aid and right-of-first-offer for displaced tenants
The second measure, HB1777, targets tenants who get displaced when older properties are redeveloped under the state’s expedited approval program known as 201H. The bill would require developers using that pathway to give affected tenants a right of first offer on comparable units in the new project, so locals have a realistic shot at returning once construction wraps.
HB1777 would also require developers to provide replacement housing payments equal to up to three months’ rent or an amount tied to affordability standards, whichever applies. On top of that, developers would have to begin sustained communication with tenants 120 days before issuing notices to vacate, rather than dropping major life changes on residents at the last minute.
The measure authorizes the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation to pause funding or withhold disbursements if a project fails to comply. The 201H process itself, which can provide regulatory waivers for projects that reserve a majority of units for households earning at or below 140% of area median income, is described in both HB1777 and guidance from HHFDC.
Supporters told Hawaiʻi Public Radio that both bills close gaps tenants and small landlords run into every day. Hawaiʻi Appleseed housing director Arjuna Heim said an accessible landlord-tenant code “is good for tenants; it’s good for mom-and-pop landlords.” Rep. Tina Grandinetti, who introduced both measures, summed up the goal this way: “Development doesn’t have to mean displacement.”
HPR also reported that the Office of Consumer Protection received a quote of nearly $9,000 to translate its 38-page landlord-tenant handbook into Chinese, Marshallese, Korean and Chuukese. Lawmakers say those costs will be part of the debate as they decide how much to put behind outreach and translation.
The bills now move to the Senate for committee review, where money questions, including funding for translations and public education, are expected to shape the final product. Supporters argue the changes are modest and practical, aimed at making tenant rights easier to understand and reducing displacement. Critics caution that the measures could pile on administrative burdens and risk oversimplifying complex legal rules, setting up a familiar Capitol fight over how far to go in rewriting the fine print of Hawaiʻi’s housing laws.
