Hawaii Security Deposit Statute Guide

What HRS section 521-44 does

The statute controls how a security deposit is collected, what it can be used for, when it must be returned, and what written proof the landlord should give if any part is withheld.

The 14-day deadline

The landlord must notify the tenant in writing of the reasons for any retention and give the remaining balance within 14 days after the termination of the rental agreement.

The handbook also explains that the notice can be mailed on or before the fourteenth day, and proof of mailing matters.

Itemization, receipts, and estimates

Cleaning or repair charges must be itemized and receipts included. If the repairs cannot be completed within the 14 days, estimates may be used instead.

Cap and pet deposit

Hawaii generally caps the security deposit at one month’s rent. The handbook says the landlord and tenant may also agree to an additional pet deposit not in excess of one month’s rent for damages caused by a pet animal allowed by the rental agreement.

The assistance-animal carveout should be respected when a reasonable accommodation applies.

Deductions

The statute and handbook materials allow deductions for unpaid rent, cleaning, damages, failure to return keys, utility charges if the tenant is obligated under the rental agreement, wrongful quit damages, and pet-animal damage allowed by the rental agreement. Ordinary wear and tear is not a deduction category.

Remedy language

Hawaii materials recognize two different outcomes when the landlord does not comply: wrongful retention can support recovery of the wrongfully retained amount plus costs, and wrongful and willful retention can support three times the security deposit or disputed part plus costs.

Official sources

• HRS section 521-44
• 2024 Handbook for the Hawaii Residential Landlord-Tenant Code
• Hawaii DCCA - Residential Landlord-Tenant Code

Source reviewed: April 2026.