Oʻahu prepares for possibility of eviction moratorium expiring

Ray Kong with Lawyers for Equal Justice, says he's working to gather lawyers across Oʻahu to volunteer to work pro bono for these mediation sessions to help out tenants.

He says it doesn't have to be a zero sum game, and he believes in some cases, landlords and tenants can come to a resolution.

“It's not necessarily fair to ask the landlord to waive everything they haven't collected. We're not trying to suggest that. But we are saying there is a way for you, landlord, to get some money back. To do it, you need to cooperate with the tenant. Maybe the tenant can pay back some of it over time. If we work together, both sides do better than if they don't,” Kong says.