(a) The tenant shall comply with all obligations or restrictions, whether denominated by the landlord as rules, or otherwise, concerning the tenant’s use, occupancy, and maintenance of the tenant’s dwelling unit, appurtenances thereto, and the premises of which the dwelling unit is a part, if:

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 521-52

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Dwelling unit: means a structure, or part of a structure, which is used as a home, residence, or sleeping place by one person or by two or more persons maintaining a common household, to the exclusion of all others. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 521-8
  • Landlord: means the owner, lessor, sublessor, assigns or successors in interest of the dwelling unit or the building of which it is a part and in addition means any agent of the landlord. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 521-8
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Person: includes an individual, corporation, government or governmental agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, two or more persons having a joint or common interest, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 521-8
  • Premises: means a dwelling unit, appurtenances thereto, grounds, and facilities held out for the use of tenants generally and any other area or facility whose use is promised to the tenant. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 521-8
  • Rental agreement: means all agreements, written or oral, which establish or modify the terms, conditions, rules, regulations, or any other provisions concerning the use and occupancy of a dwelling unit and premises. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 521-8
  • Single family residence: means a structure maintained and used as a single dwelling unit. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 521-8
  • Tenant: means any person who occupies a dwelling unit for dwelling purposes under a rental agreement. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 521-8
(1) Such obligations or restrictions are brought to the attention of the tenant at the time of the tenant’s entry into the rental agreement; or
(2) Such obligations or restrictions, if not so known by the tenant at the time of the tenant’s entry into the rental agreement, are brought to the attention of the tenant and, if they work a substantial modification of the tenant’s bargain under the rental agreement, are consented to in writing by the tenant.
(b) No such obligation or restriction shall be enforceable against the tenant unless:

(1) It is for the purpose of promoting the convenience, safety, or welfare of the tenants of the property, or for the preservation of the landlord’s property from abusive use, or for the fair distribution of services and facilities held out for the tenants generally;
(2) It is reasonably related to the purpose for which it is established;
(3) It applies to all tenants of the property in a fair manner; and
(4) It is sufficiently explicit in its prohibition, direction, or limitation of the tenant’s conduct to fairly inform the tenant of what the tenant must or must not do to comply.
(c) In a rental agreement for a single family residence, a landlord shall not prohibit a tenant from erecting, maintaining, or displaying an otherwise legal sign or outdoor advertising device that urges voters to vote for or against any person or issue; provided that reasonable restrictions are permissible for purposes of complying with applicable building and housing laws affecting health and safety.
(d) If the dwelling unit is a unit in a condominium, the tenant shall comply with the bylaws of the association under chapter 514B, and if the dwelling unit is an apartment in a cooperative housing corporation, the tenant shall comply with the bylaws of the corporation.