HB 1433 Hawaii House · 2025 Regular Session

RELATING TO EVICTION MEDIATION.

Summary

Beginning 2/5/2026, extends the period for a notice of termination of a rental agreement; requires landlords to engage in mediation and delay filing an action for summary possession if a tenant schedules mediation; and requires landlords to provide specific information in the 10‑calendar-day notice to tenants. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. Repeals 2/4/2027. (HD2)

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2025 Last action Feb 14, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB1433_HD1 → HB1433_HD2 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill re-enacts and expands Hawaii's eviction mediation pilot program that expired under previous legislation. It requires landlords to provide specific notice information, engage in mediation before filing eviction actions, and allows tenants to delay eviction proceedings if they schedule mediation. The bill also appropriates funding for mediation services and sets specific effective dates.

Scope change

Bill scope remains focused on residential landlord-tenant disputes for nonpayment of rent, but now includes more detailed requirements for notice content and mediation scheduling procedures.

REQUIREMENT

Extended notice period for termination of rental agreement from five business days to ten calendar days

Landlords must provide specific contact information and rent details in the ten-calendar-day notice

Landlords must provide copies of notices to state-funded mediation centers for scheduling mediation

Landlords must engage in mediation if scheduled and cannot file eviction until thirty days after notice receipt if mediation occurs

Summary possession complaints must include documentation of mediation efforts and notice delivery

FISCAL

Appropriates funds for judiciary to contract mediation services for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027

TIMELINE

Sets effective date of February 5, 2026, with repeal scheduled for February 4, 2027

ENFORCEMENT

Allows landlords to request payment of attorney fees if tenant defaults on mediated agreement or fails to attend scheduled mediation

HB1433 → HB1433_HD1 · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates Hawaii's eviction mediation pilot program by extending the time landlords have to give tenants a notice before eviction from five business days to ten calendar days, requiring landlords to provide specific contact and rent information in that notice, and mandating that landlords engage in mediation if a tenant schedules one. It also clarifies that landlords must wait until after the ten-day period (or twenty days if mediation is scheduled) before filing for eviction, and establishes that both parties pay their own legal fees during mediation unless the tenant defaults. The bill appropriates funds for the program and sets a sunset date for the pilot program.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the pilot program by making the ten-calendar-day notice requirement mandatory for all residential landlord-tenant disputes covered by the program, whereas the previous Act 57 provisions had expired. It also clarifies the timeline for filing eviction actions and the responsibilities of landlords and tenants during the mediation process.

TIMELINE

Extended the notice period for termination of rental agreements from five business days to ten calendar days.

Sets the effective date of the bill as February 5, 2026, and establishes a sunset date of February 4, 2027, for the pilot program.

REQUIREMENT

Requires landlords to provide specific information in the ten-calendar-day notice, including contact details for both parties, the amount of rent due, and notice that the notice is being provided to a state-funded mediation center.

Mandates that landlords engage in mediation if a tenant schedules one and delays filing an eviction action until after the ten-day period (or twenty days if mediation is scheduled).

ENFORCEMENT

Clarifies that both landlords and tenants are responsible for their own attorney's fees and costs during pre-litigation mediation, with exceptions if the tenant defaults on a mediated agreement.

FISCAL

Appropriates funds for the judiciary to contract for mediation services for the pre-litigation mediation pilot program.

TECHNICAL

Requires the judiciary to prepare a standardized notice form for landlords to use when providing the ten-calendar-day notice.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Kong, Matsumoto, Reyes Oda, Shimizu voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Muraoka, Pierick voting no (4) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 737) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Kahaloa, Perruso, Takayama, Todd, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Garcia; 0 Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran, Hashem.

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Committee

Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 121) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Jan 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Kong, Marten, Tam; Ayes with reservations: none; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Pierick; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Lowen.

lower

Jan 27, 2025

Committee

Referred to CPC, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 4

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors