Renters' Rights · Security Deposit
Security Deposit Laws in Hawaii
The most a landlord can charge, how long they have to return it, and what it costs them to keep your money without cause in Hawaii.
Prefer a calculator? Run your rent and move-out date through the Hawaii security deposit calculator →
What your landlord can hold, and when it's due back
Enter your rent for the Hawaii maximum, plus the return-deadline clock.
Estimate only, based on Hawaii's statutory cap. Your lease may set a lower deposit, and local ordinances can be stricter. Not legal advice.
The full rules, with the statute
Every requirement and where it comes from in the code.
Exceptions: The base security deposit cannot exceed one month's rent. On top of that, a landlord may require a separate pet deposit, agreed on by both sides, of up to one additional month's rent to cover damage caused by a pet allowed under the lease. That pet deposit cannot be charged to a tenant with no pet, and cannot be charged for an assistance animal that is a reasonable accommodation for a disability. At the start of the tenancy a landlord may collect only the first month's rent and these deposits, nothing more.
Penalties & recent changes
What happens if the landlord keeps your deposit wrongfully.
Act 206 (2013) (effective 2013-07-01): Amended HRS 521-44 to let a landlord require a separate pet deposit of up to one month's rent, on top of the one-month base deposit, for a pet allowed under the lease. The pet deposit cannot be charged for an assistance animal that is a reasonable accommodation for a disability.
Act 29 (2015) (effective 2015-07-01): Amended HRS 521-44 to make clear that the returnable keys covered by the deposit include key fobs, parking cards, garage door openers, and mailbox keys.
What Hawaii renters get wrong
Hawaii caps a residential security deposit at one month's rent under HRS 521-44. Separate from that, if you keep a pet allowed under your lease, the landlord may require a pet deposit of up to one additional month's rent, though that extra cannot be charged for an assistance animal tied to a disability. After the tenancy ends, the landlord has 14 days to return your deposit or send written notice of any deductions with the particulars and cost evidence behind them. Miss that 14-day window and the landlord forfeits the right to keep any of it. If a landlord wrongfully and willfully holds your deposit, a small claims court may award you three times the amount withheld plus the cost of suit. You have one year after the tenancy ends to bring that claim.
Common questions
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Hawaii?
The base security deposit is capped at one month's rent. If you keep a pet allowed under the lease, the landlord may also require a separate pet deposit of up to one more month's rent. That pet deposit cannot be charged if you have no pet, or for an assistance animal that is a reasonable accommodation for a disability.
How long does a Hawaii landlord have to return my deposit?
Fourteen days after the rental agreement ends. Within that window the landlord must either return the deposit or send written notice of any deductions with the particulars and cost evidence. If the landlord misses the 14-day deadline, they lose the right to keep any part of the deposit and must return the full amount.
What happens if my Hawaii landlord wrongfully keeps my deposit?
You can sue in the small claims division of district court. If the court finds the retention was wrongful and willful, it may award you three times the amount withheld plus the cost of suit. If it was wrongful but not willful, you recover the amount withheld plus costs. Neither side may use an attorney in that small claims action, and you must file within one year of the tenancy ending.
Does my Hawaii landlord have to pay interest or use a separate account?
No. Hawaii does not require interest on a security deposit or a separate escrow account. HRS 521-44 lets a landlord commingle deposits, but the money is still held for you and your claim to it ranks ahead of the landlord’s creditors.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.