HONOLULU — The eviction moratorium that has been in place since April 2020 is lifting on Aug. 6, Gov. David Ige formally announced on Thursday.
Ige notified the Hawai‘i State Legislature and Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald that he will not be issuing any further eviction moratoria once the current moratorium expires.
“At that time, the COVID-19 pandemic caused travel around the world to come to a halt. Hundreds of thousands of Hawai‘i residents who depend on the visitor industry for their livelihood were out of work, and I issued the first moratorium to prevent mass evictions,” Ige said in a press release. “The pandemic is not yet over, but thanks to safe and effective vaccines, many residents are now back at work.”
In addition, federal funds are available for emergency rent assistance. Renters and landlords are encouraged to seek and accept the rental assistance relief being distributed in each county.
For residents who may not have been able to catch up on their rent payments, the state, counties, Legislature, Judiciary, and service providers are working together to keep people in their homes after the eviction moratorium expires.
Earlier this week, Ige signed Act 57, which changes eviction procedures for non-payment of rent, the landlord-tenant code and incentivizes mediation for both renters and landlords by giving renters more time to seek assistance and work out agreements to avoid eviction, establishes a right to mediation and allows the Courts to consider Summary Possession cases for those owing four months of back rent or more.
“The Judiciary has been working since last year with agencies and community partners across the state to prepare for the expected increase in eviction case filings once the moratorium is lifted,” Recktenwald said. “We are grateful to those partners for their efforts. I also want to thank Governor Ige and the Legislature, especially Representatives Troy Hashimoto and Nadine Nakamura, for working collaboratively to enact legislation to help tenants and landlords resolve their disputes during these unprecedented times.”
Mayor Derek Kawakami encouraged renters and landlords to seek out information.
“As we recover, we knew this day would eventually come,” Kawakami said. “We thank the Governor, state Legislature, and our community partners for helping to ease the transition for both landlords and tenants. With the recent adoption of Act 57, mediation is now a necessary step before eviction. We want our residents to know that there is still time, and resources are available.”
Kaua‘i residents can submit an application through the county’s Coronavirus Rental and Utility Assistance program where eligible applicants may receive up to $4,500 per month for rent and no cap per month for qualifying utilities. More information can be found at kauairenthelp.com.
“Please consider these resources, know your rights, and seek assistance if needed,” Kawakami said.
