STAND. COM. REP. NO. 636-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2094

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2094 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD-TENANT CODE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require a landlord, for any residential rental agreement with a term of six months or greater, to change or rekey all locks to the residential property before the tenant's date of initial occupancy, with a grace period of thirty days.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from one individual. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaiʻi Association of REALTORS.

Your Committees find that, as a good practice, landlords or property managers change the locks or utilize smart locks to rekey doors easily after a tenant moves out. Your Committees further find that tenants who enter into rental agreements for longer terms of tenancy have reasonable expectations of exclusive access to the property. This measure reinforces that expectation by requiring the landlord to change or rekey all locks to the property for any residential rental agreement with a term of six months or greater.

Your Committees note that the intent of this measure is limited to those locks under the control of the landlord that provide exclusive access to the individual living spaces of the tenant and not to the locks that provide access to general or common areas.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2094, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2094, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________ DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair

____________________________ MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair