Property Management
Five items, and the bulletin gives only two subtopics: the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code and commercial real estate management, the latter marked broker only. Chapter 521 is where the answers live.
Money at the start and the end of a tenancy
HRS 521-44(b) caps the security deposit at one month's rent plus an agreed pet deposit that is itself capped at one month's rent, and it may not be required for an assistance animal that is a reasonable accommodation under HRS 515-3. Nothing else may be collected at the start beyond the first month's rent and that deposit. At the end, 521-44(c) gives the landlord fourteen days to return the balance and to furnish written notice with the particulars, grounds and written evidence of any retention; miss it and 'the landlord shall not be entitled to retain the security deposit or any part of it'. No part of the deposit counts as the last month's rent unless agreed in writing with forty-five days' notice of vacating.
Notices, and the 2026 change to section 521-68
Month-to-month tenancies terminate on at least forty-five days' written notice from the landlord and twenty-eight days from the tenant (521-71(a), (b)); one hundred twenty days is required where the landlord contemplates demolition, conversion to a condominium property regime, or a change to transient vacation rentals (521-71(c)). For nonpayment of rent, Act 278 of 2025 rewrote HRS 521-68 effective 5 February 2026: the notice must now give not less than ten calendar days, must contain the eight items listed in 521-68(b), and a copy must go to a state-funded mediation center. If mediation is scheduled and the tenant participates, summary possession may be filed only after twenty calendar days from receipt. The old five-business-day notice is what pre-2026 study material still teaches.
Who may manage, and from where
Managing real estate for others is licensed activity: HRS 467-1 defines a real estate broker to include a person who 'manages or offers to manage, any real estate... for others, as a whole or partial vocation', with a narrow exception for a custodian or caretaker employed by a single owner. Operating a condominium hotel adds registration with the Commission and a fidelity bond of $500 per unit, subject to a $20,000 minimum and a $100,000 maximum, under HRS 467-30. Geography matters too: HRS 521-43(f) requires an owner who lives out of state, or on a different island from the unit, to designate on the written rental agreement an agent residing on the same island, and 521-43(a) requires written disclosure of the manager and the person authorized to receive service of process and rents.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Hawaii Real Estate Commission (DCCA)
- Exam vendor
- PSI
- Scored questions
- 125
- Time limit
- 240 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in Hawaii?
The Hawaii Real Estate Commission, within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), licenses brokers and salespersons. The Commission contracts with PSI to deliver the exams.
What experience do I need before the Hawaii broker exam?
Broker applicants must have been a Hawaii-licensed salesperson associated with a Hawaii-licensed broker for at least three of the five years immediately before applying, and must obtain an approved Broker Experience Certificate before registering for the exam — otherwise the exam score is invalidated.
How is the Hawaii broker exam structured?
The Hawaii broker exam has about 125 questions in a uniform (general) portion and a Hawaii-specific portion, delivered by PSI over 4 hours. Confirm the current passing score for the broker exam with the Commission.
Sources: https://cca.hawaii.gov/reb/real_ed/real_ed-exam_lic/, https://cca.hawaii.gov/reb/16-99-19-2-experience-certificate-application/
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