Landlords, tenants clash despite eviction moratorium

A group of tenants’ rights organizations is warning Hawaiʻi landlords they might face legal consequences for attempting to evict tenants during the state of emergency.

As part of an emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor David Ige announced earlier this year a temporary moratorium on evictions based on failure to pay rent. That moratorium has been extended multiple times this year and is currently slated to end August 31.

Despite the moratorium, however, tenant advocate groups reported that landlords on all Hawaiian islands have illegally threatened to evict their tenants for failing to pay rent.