Security deposit return deadline in Hawaii
A Hawaii landlord has 14 days after the tenancy ends to return a security deposit or send a written list of what was kept.
- Deadline
- 14 days
- What the landlord must send
- The landlord must give written notice of the reasons for keeping any amount within 14 days after the rental agreement ends.
- If the landlord gets it wrong
- If the notice is late the landlord must return the whole deposit; a court may award up to three times the deposit wrongfully and willfully kept.
- Deposit limit
- 1 month’s rent, plus a separate pet deposit if agreed
Deposit disputes can be filed in the small claims division of the district court.
The law
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44. Read the statute.
Checked against the statute in October 2026. Laws change, so confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
What to do next
If the deadline has passed, or the landlord kept money without a proper list, put your request in writing. Ask for the deposit back by a specific date, and keep a copy. The free first letter in the Deposit Demand Letters kit does this for Hawaii, and the deadline calculator works out your exact date from your move-out day.
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
General information about Hawaii law, not legal advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Deposit Demand Letters is a self-help template kit from Kits For That.