Landlord Atlas

Hawaii Mobile Home Park Laws

Verified August 23, 2026 All Hawaii topics →

Hawaii has no manufactured-home or mobile-home community tenancy act, and its Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, HRS chapter 521, reaches the rental of a dwelling unit, meaning a structure used as a home, rather than the rental of a bare lot to someone who owns the home standing on it.

Cited to HRS ch. 521 and 16 more sources · Verified August 23, 2026

There is no limit on lot rent, no notice period before a community closes or changes use, no purchase right for residents and no protection for selling a home in place: a community owner and a resident are left to their lease, to HRS chapter 666, which makes an open-ended rental of real property a month-to-month tenancy that either side may end on 25 days' written notice and lets a landlord end it for unpaid rent on five days' notice, and to ordinary contract law. Where the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code does govern a rental, it requires 45 days' written notice of a rent increase, 45 days' notice to end a month-to-month tenancy, ten calendar days and a referral to a mediation center for unpaid rent, and 120 days' notice before demolition or a conversion. Rent regulation itself is left to the counties, which HRS 46-1.5(20) empowers to regulate the renting, subletting and rental conditions of property used as a place of abode.

Governing actNo manufactured-home tenancy act
General law that also appliesHawaii Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, HRS chapter 521, with HRS chapter 666 (landlord and tenant; summary possession)
Federal lender protections already required by state law0 of 8 (see the table)

Each row below is a state rule (with its citation) or an honest "no state rule" with what governs instead — lease terms and the general landlord-tenant law still apply where the park act is silent. This page covers a resident who owns the home and rents the lot; a home rented from the park is an ordinary Hawaii tenancy.

On this page: Scope · Lot rent, fees and utilities · Lease, rules and disclosure · Termination and eviction · Closure and change of use · Sale of the park · The resident's home · Federal lender protections · Common questions · Citations

A. Scope — who and what the act covers

Rule Hawaii law Source
State agency with a role in park tenancies No state rule No Hawaii agency has a role in manufactured-home community tenancies, because the State has no community tenancy act. For a rental that falls under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, the Office of Consumer Protection in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs may receive, investigate and attempt to resolve a dispute; a dispute over a lot tenancy is otherwise a matter for the district courts. HRS 521-77; HRS 666-1
Resident may sue under the act No state rule There is no act for a resident to sue under. A tenant whose rental is covered by the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code has the remedies the Code gives, including damages and the cost of suit for an unlawful removal, and either party to a lease may sue on the lease in the ordinary courts. HRS 521-63 (c); HRS 521-77
Minimum park size for the act to apply (lots) No state rule No size threshold exists, because no Hawaii statute regulates manufactured-home communities. The Residential Landlord-Tenant Code applies to a rental agreement for a dwelling unit whatever the size of the property it sits on. HRS 521-6
Other size thresholds that switch rules on No state rule No Hawaii statute switches a rule on or off at a particular community size, number of lots or share of residents. HRS 521-6
Park-owned rental homes Ordinary landlord-tenant law applies A home owned by the community and rented out is an ordinary residential rental. The Residential Landlord-Tenant Code reaches it, because the home is a structure used as a residence and the community owner is the landlord of that structure. HRS 521-6; HRS 521-8 "dwelling unit"
RVs and park-model homes No state rule No Hawaii statute addresses recreational vehicles or park-model homes in a community. The only occupancy of this kind that the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code sets aside is transient occupancy on a day-to-day basis in a hotel or motel. HRS 521-7 (5)
Local rent regulation of park lots Authorized by state law; no local ordinance identified State law leaves rent regulation to the counties: each county has the power to regulate the renting, subletting and rental conditions of property for places of abode by ordinance, and the summary possession chapter expressly preserves rent control ordinances. No state statute limits community lot rents, and no county ordinance reaching community lot rents was identified. HRS 46-1.5 (20); HRS 666-20

B. Lot rent, fees and utilities

Rule Hawaii law Source
Notice before a lot-rent increase No state rule No statute sets a notice period for raising the rent on a community lot. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a month-to-month rent increase takes 45 consecutive days' written notice, and 15 days where the tenancy is less than month to month, but the Code's rules run to the rental of a dwelling unit rather than of a bare lot. HRS 521-21 (d) and (e); HRS 521-8 "dwelling unit"
How often rent may be raised No state rule No Hawaii statute limits how often lot rent may be raised. The Residential Landlord-Tenant Code sets a notice period for an increase but places no limit on how many increases a year may bring. HRS 521-21 (d)
Statewide limit on lot-rent increases No state rule Hawaii sets no ceiling on lot-rent increases, and none on residential rents generally. A statewide three per cent yearly limit on rent increases under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code was proposed in the 2026 session and was not enacted. HRS 521-21 (d)
How a resident can challenge an increase No state rule No statute gives a resident a way to challenge the amount of a lot-rent increase. Where the payment or the amount of rent is in dispute in a court case, either party may ask the court to order the disputed rent paid into a rent trust fund, and where a rent increase is at issue the tenant deposits the rent as it stood before the increase. HRS 666-21 (a); HRS 521-78 (a)
Entrance fee prohibited No state rule No statute bars an entrance fee for a community lot. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a landlord may not require or receive anything at the start of a rental beyond the first month's rent and a security deposit, but that rule addresses the rental of a dwelling unit. HRS 521-44 (b)
Exit or removal fee prohibited No state rule No Hawaii statute bars an exit or removal fee. Nothing in the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code or in the general law of tenancies addresses a charge for leaving a lot or for moving a home off it. HRS 521-44 (b)
Undisclosed fees uncollectible No state rule No statute makes an undisclosed fee uncollectible. A landlord under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code must give the tenant a copy of a written rental agreement and disclose who owns and who manages the property, and a court may refuse to enforce a term it finds unconscionable. HRS 521-43 (a) and (d); HRS 521-75 (a)
Utility billing rules No state rule No statute regulates how a community bills residents for utilities. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code utility service means electricity, water, sewer and natural gas, a landlord may hold a security deposit for utility money the tenant owes, and cutting off an essential service to recover possession is an unfair or deceptive practice carrying minimum damages of three times the monthly rent or $1,000, whichever is greater. HRS 521-8 "utility service"; HRS 521-74.5
Submetering required or regulated No state rule No Hawaii statute addresses submetering or individually metered utility billing in a manufactured-home community. HRS 521-8 "utility service"
Lot security deposit rules No state rule No statute sets deposit rules for a community lot. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a security deposit may not exceed one month's rent, a further sum of up to one month's rent may be agreed for a pet, and the deposit or a written statement of what is being kept and why is due within 14 days after the rental ends. HRS 521-44 (b) and (c)

C. Lease, rules and disclosure

Rule Hawaii law Source
Written lease Not required A written lease is not required. An oral lease of real property for a period of one year or less is valid and enforceable in Hawaii as if it were in writing, and a rental agreement under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code may be written or oral. HRS 666-4; HRS 521-8 "rental agreement"
Minimum lease term that must be offered No state rule No statute requires a community to offer a lease of any minimum length. The parties may agree in writing to any term, and where they do not, the tenancy is from month to month. HRS 521-22; HRS 666-2
Notice to end a tenancy without cause No state rule No statute sets a notice period for ending a lot tenancy without cause. Under the general law of tenancies, real property rented for an indefinite time with periodic rent is a month-to-month tenancy that either the landlord or the tenant may end by written notice given 25 days or more before the end of the month or period. Where the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code applies, a landlord ending a month-to-month tenancy gives 45 days' written notice and a tenant gives 28. HRS 666-2; HRS 521-71 (a) and (b)
Notice before park rules change No state rule No statute sets a notice period for changing community rules. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a restriction the tenant did not know of at the start of the rental binds the tenant only once it is brought to the tenant's attention, and one that substantially changes the tenant's bargain also needs the tenant's written consent. HRS 521-52 (a)(2)
Disclosure document None required No disclosure document is required for a community lot. A landlord under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code must disclose in writing the name and address of each person who manages the property and each owner or agent for service of process, and must give the tenant a copy of a written rental agreement. HRS 521-43 (a) and (d)
Residents' right to meet and organize No state rule No Hawaii statute protects a right for community residents to meet or to form a residents' organization. A community rule limiting meetings would be measured only by the general test that a rule be reasonably related to its purpose and applied fairly to all tenants, and that test applies to rentals under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code. HRS 521-52 (b)
Owner entry onto the lot or into the home No state rule No statute governs a community owner's entry onto a rented lot. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a landlord must give at least two days' notice before entering a dwelling unit, except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable, and may enter only during reasonable hours. HRS 521-53 (b)
Retaliation prohibited No state rule No statute bars retaliation against a community resident as such. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a landlord may not recover possession, demand a rent increase or cut services after the tenant has complained in good faith to the landlord or to a government agency about a health violation or a breach of the Code, subject to a list of exceptions such as a good-faith plan to remodel or demolish. HRS 521-74 (a) and (b)

D. Termination and eviction

Rule Hawaii law Source
Just cause required to end a tenancy No No statute requires a reason to end a lot tenancy. A month-to-month tenancy of real property may be ended by written notice from either side, and the notice need give no ground. HRS 666-2; HRS 521-71 (a)
Grounds for termination No state rule Hawaii lists no statutory grounds for ending a community lot tenancy. A tenancy ends by notice under the general law of month-to-month tenancies, by the passage of a fixed term, or by forfeiture under the conditions of the lease itself. HRS 666-2; HRS 666-1
Notice for nonpayment of lot rent No state rule No statute sets a nonpayment notice for a lot tenancy. Under the general law of month-to-month tenancies a landlord may end the tenancy for unpaid rent on a written notice to vacate of not less than five days. Where the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code applies, the notice is ten calendar days, a copy goes to a state-funded mediation center, and the landlord must take part if mediation is scheduled; that has been the rule since February 5, 2026. HRS 666-2; HRS 521-68 (a)
Notice for a rule or lease violation No state rule No statute sets a cure period for a rule or lease violation on a lot. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a landlord must give written notice in a prescribed form specifying at least ten days to put the breach right, and no time need be allowed where the breach threatens damage to a person. HRS 521-72 (a)
Repeat-violation rule No state rule No statute sets a repeat-violation rule for a lot tenancy. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, if the breach continues or happens again after the date given in the notice, the landlord may bring a possession case within 30 days of that continued or repeated breach. HRS 521-72 (b)
Time to sell or remove the home after termination No state rule No statute gives a resident a period to sell or to move the home after a lot tenancy ends. What becomes of the home is left to the lease and to the general law on recovering possession of land. HRS 666-1; HRS 521-56 (a)
Abandoned-home procedure No state rule Hawaii has no procedure for a community owner to clear an abandoned manufactured home. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a landlord left personal property of value after a tenant quits must make reasonable efforts to reach the tenant by mail and may then sell it in a commercially reasonable manner, store it at the tenant's expense or donate it, no sooner than 15 days after the notice is mailed. HRS 521-56 (a) and (b)
Mediation or dispute-resolution requirement No state rule No statute requires mediation of a community lot dispute. Where the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code applies, a landlord ending a rental for unpaid rent must send the ten-day notice to a state-funded mediation center and take part if mediation is scheduled, and may file for possession only after 20 calendar days if the tenant takes part; the Judiciary reports to the Legislature on this requirement in 2028. HRS 521-68 (c) and (i)

E. Closure and change of use

Rule Hawaii law Source
Notice before closure or change of use No state rule No statute sets a notice period before a manufactured-home community closes or changes use. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a landlord who plans voluntary demolition of the dwelling units, conversion to a condominium property regime or a change of the building to transient vacation rentals must give a month-to-month tenant 120 days' notice, which is four months, before the termination. HRS 521-71 (c)
Variants (by trigger or park size) No state rule Hawaii sets no closure or change-of-use notice for communities, so there are no variants by trigger or by community size. HRS 521-71 (c)
Relocation payment required No state rule No Hawaii statute requires a community owner or the State to pay a resident's relocation costs when a community closes or changes use. HRS 521-71 (c)
Relocation amounts No state rule No relocation amounts are set, because no Hawaii statute requires a relocation payment on closure. HRS 521-71 (c)
Who pays relocation None required No one is required to pay relocation costs when a community closes. Hawaii has neither an owner-funded payment nor a state relocation fund for manufactured-home communities. HRS 521-71 (c)
Notice to a government body on closure No state rule No statute requires a community owner to notify a county or a state agency that a community is closing or changing use. HRS 521-71 (c)

F. Sale of the park

Rule Hawaii law Source
Residents must be told the park is for sale No state rule No statute requires residents to be told that the community is being sold, before or after the sale. The one notice tied to a sale under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code concerns money: the seller must account to the buyer for security deposits, and within 20 days after the transfer the buyer must tell each tenant in writing what deposit is credited to that tenant. HRS 521-44 (f); HRS 521-45 (a) and (b)
What triggers the notice No state rule Nothing triggers a sale notice to residents, because no sale notice is required. The security-deposit notice under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code is triggered by the transfer itself and comes from the buyer rather than the seller. HRS 521-44 (f)
Residents' purchase right None required Residents have no right to buy the community. Hawaii gives no right of first refusal, no opportunity to negotiate and no purchase window, and none arises on a closure. HRS 521-45 (a)
Time for residents to respond No state rule No response period exists, because residents have no statutory right to buy the community. HRS 521-45 (a)
Resident-association threshold No state rule No statute sets a resident-association threshold. Hawaii gives residents no purchase right and recognizes no community residents' organization by statute. HRS 521-45 (a)
Transfers exempt from the sale rules No state rule No transfers are exempted, because no Hawaii statute regulates the sale of a manufactured-home community. HRS 521-45 (a)
Residents may assign the right to a nonprofit or municipality No state rule No statute lets residents assign a purchase right to a nonprofit organization or to a county, because Hawaii gives no purchase right to assign. HRS 521-45 (a)
Penalty for violating the sale rules No state rule No penalty attaches to community sale rules, because Hawaii has none. The one consequence tied to a sale under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code is that a buyer who fails to tell tenants what deposit is credited to them is presumed to hold a deposit of at least one month's rent at the original rate. HRS 521-44 (f)

G. The resident's home

Rule Hawaii law Source
Right to sell the home in place No state rule No statute gives a resident the right to sell the home where it stands. Whether a home may be sold in place and stay on the lot is left to the lease. HRS 521-37 (a) and (c)
Park may not take a commission on the sale No state rule No statute bars a community from taking a commission or a fee on the sale of a resident's home. HRS 521-37 (c)
Park may screen the buyer No state rule No statute says whether a community may screen a buyer who wants to take over the lot. Under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code a tenant may sublet or assign the rental agreement without the landlord's consent unless a written rental agreement says otherwise, and a landlord who screens an applicant may charge a screening fee and must return any part of it not used. HRS 521-37 (a) and (c); HRS 521-46 (a) and (c)
Buyer-approval standard and deadline No state rule No statute sets a standard or a deadline for approving a buyer as the new lot tenant. Where a written rental agreement makes assignment subject to the landlord's consent, the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code sets no test the landlord must meet and no time in which to answer. HRS 521-37 (c)
Home may not be rejected for age, size or style alone No state rule No statute stops a community from refusing a home because of its age, size or style, or from requiring a home to be taken away when it is sold. HRS 521-52 (b)
Park may require repairs before sale No state rule No statute says whether a community may require repairs to a home before it is sold. The point is left to the lease and to community rules, which under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code must be reasonably related to their purpose and applied to all tenants in a fair manner. HRS 521-52 (b)
Right to post a For Sale sign No state rule No statute or state regulation protects a For Sale sign on a home in a community. The only sign the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code protects is a political sign, and only in a rental of a single-family residence. HRS 521-52 (c)

H. The eight federal lender protections — which ones Hawaii law already requires

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require eight tenant site lease protections in every manufactured housing community loan they buy. Where state law already requires a protection of every park, a resident has it whether or not the park has agency financing. Hawaii law requires 0 of 8. All 50 states are compared in our research study, including the 2018 federal survey baseline.

ProtectionHawaii lawBasis
One-year renewable lease term unless there is good cause for non-renewal Not required No statute requires a term of a year or more to be offered for a community lot and none limits the reasons for ending the tenancy; a month-to-month tenancy of real property may be ended by written notice, without cause, under HRS 666-2. (HRS 666-2; HRS 521-71)
30-day written notice of rent increases Not required No statute requires notice of a lot-rent increase. The 45-day notice in HRS 521-21(d) runs to a rental of a dwelling unit, which the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code defines as a structure used as a home, and not to the rental of a bare lot to a resident who owns the home. (HRS 521-21; HRS 521-8)
5-day grace period for rent payments and the right to cure defaults on rent payments Not required No statute gives a grace period before a late fee on lot rent, and none gives a right to cure. Under HRS 666-2 a landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy of real property for unpaid rent on five days' written notice to vacate, and the only statewide limit on late charges, eight per cent of the rent due, applies to a rental agreement under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code. (HRS 666-2; HRS 521-21)
Right to sell the manufactured home without having to first relocate it out of the community Not required No statute bars a community from requiring a home to be taken off the lot when it is sold; the point is left to the lease. (HRS 521-37)
Right to sell the manufactured home in place within 30 days after eviction by the community owner Not required No statute gives a resident a period to sell the home in place after an eviction; the general law on recovering possession of land sets none. (HRS 666-1; HRS 521-56)
Right to sublease or assign the pad site lease for the unexpired term to the new buyer of the home without unreasonable restraint Not required No statute lets a buyer take over the lot tenancy and none limits a community's grounds for refusing. Under HRS 521-37 a written rental agreement may make assignment subject to the landlord's consent, and no standard governs that consent. (HRS 521-37)
Right to post "For Sale" signs that comply with the community's rules Not required No statute or state regulation protects a For Sale sign. HRS 521-52(c) protects only a political sign, and only in a rental of a single-family residence. (HRS 521-52)
Right to receive at least 60 days' notice of a planned sale or closure of the community Not required No statute requires notice of a sale or of a closure of a manufactured-home community. The 120-day notice in HRS 521-71(c) covers demolition, conversion to a condominium property regime or a change to transient vacation rentals of dwelling units. (HRS 521-71; HRS 521-44)

Notes and caveats

Common questions: Hawaii mobile home park law

Each answer is the verified value from the tables above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How much notice must a Hawaii park give before raising lot rent?
Hawaii sets no state rule on this. No statute sets a notice period for raising the rent on a community lot.
Is there a limit on how much lot rent can go up in Hawaii?
Hawaii sets no state rule on this. Hawaii sets no ceiling on lot-rent increases, and none on residential rents generally.
Can a Hawaii park owner end a lot tenancy without cause?
Yes — Hawaii law does not require a cause. No statute requires a reason to end a lot tenancy.
How much notice must a Hawaii park give before closing or changing use?
Hawaii sets no state rule on this. No statute sets a notice period before a manufactured-home community closes or changes use.
Does a Hawaii park have to pay residents' relocation costs when it closes?
Hawaii sets no state rule on this. No Hawaii statute requires a community owner or the State to pay a resident's relocation costs when a community closes or changes use.
Do Hawaii residents get a chance to buy the park when it is sold?
No — Hawaii law gives residents no right to buy the park. Residents have no right to buy the community.
Can a Hawaii resident sell the home in place without moving it out of the park?
Hawaii sets no state rule on this. No statute gives a resident the right to sell the home where it stands.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Hawaii Mobile Home Park Laws (verified August 23, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/mobile-home-parks/hawaii/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified).

Citations

Every row above links the section it rests on. This topic covers all 50 states; the topic hub compares them side by side.