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Hawaii Notice to Vacate Letter

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[Your full name]

[Date]

[Your landlord's name]

Re: Notice to vacate — [Rental property address]

Dear [Your landlord's name],

Please accept this letter as my formal written notice that I will terminate my tenancy at [Rental property address] and vacate the premises on [Move-out date].

Under Hawaii Residential Landlord-Tenant Code — Termination of tenancy; landlord's remedies for holdover (HRS § 521-71(b)), a month-to-month tenancy may be terminated by the tenant on 28 days written notice. This notice is given in accordance with that requirement and with any additional notice period my lease provides.

I will leave the unit clean and in good condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and will return all keys and access devices on or before my move-out date. I would like a move-out inspection during my final week; please propose a date and time.

Please send my security deposit, with any itemized statement required by law, to my forwarding address: [Your forwarding address]. Kindly confirm receipt of this notice in writing.

Sincerely,

[Your full name]

Know your rights

Notice to vacate law in Hawaii

Tenant notice required: 28 days
Governing statute: HRS § 521-71(b)
How the clock runs: The tenant must notify the landlord in writing at least 28 days in advance of the anticipated termination date and remains responsible for rent through that 28-day period; the statute counts from the notice date and does not force the termination onto a rent-period boundary.
Delivering the notice: The statute expressly requires written notice; hand delivery or mail with proof of mailing is the safe practice for establishing the 28-day clock.
Fixed-term leases: A fixed-term lease ends on its stated end date without statutory notice; if the tenant holds over and the landlord continues accepting rent, the tenancy continues as a periodic (month-to-month) tenancy governed by § 521-71's notice rules.

Worth knowing: Hawaii's notice periods are unusually asymmetric: the tenant owes 28 days while the landlord owes 45 under § 521-71(a), and a landlord terminating for demolition or condominium conversion owes 120 days. Under HRS § 521-80, a tenant (or immediate family member residing in the unit) who was a victim of domestic violence in the 90 days before notice may terminate a rental agreement with a term of one year or less without penalty on at least 14 days' written notice accompanied by qualifying documentation, with the termination date no more than 104 days after the most recent act of violence. Rent liability after a tenant's 28-day notice is capped at the notice period even if the tenant leaves earlier.

Last reviewed August 2026 · General information, not legal advice · Read the statute · Also for Hawaii: security deposit demand letter

Field notes

Three tips before you send

The statute expressly requires written notice; hand delivery or mail with proof of mailing is the safe practice for establishing the 28-day clock.
The tenant must notify the landlord in writing at least 28 days in advance of the anticipated termination date and remains responsible for rent through that 28-day period; the statute counts from the notice date and does not force the termination onto a rent-period boundary.
Date math is unforgiving — the clock usually runs from the day your landlord receives the notice, not the day you write it. Build in a few days of cushion, and photograph the empty unit when you hand back the keys.

Straight answers

Questions people ask

How much notice does a tenant have to give in Hawaii?

The tenant must notify the landlord in writing at least 28 days in advance of the anticipated termination date and remains responsible for rent through that 28-day period; the statute counts from the notice date and does not force the termination onto a rent-period boundary. The governing statute is Hawaii Residential Landlord-Tenant Code — Termination of tenancy; landlord's remedies for holdover.

What happens when a fixed-term lease ends in Hawaii?

A fixed-term lease ends on its stated end date without statutory notice; if the tenant holds over and the landlord continues accepting rent, the tenancy continues as a periodic (month-to-month) tenancy governed by § 521-71's notice rules. Check your lease for a renewal or notice clause — where the statute allows it, the lease controls.

Anything else Hawaii renters should know before moving out?

Hawaii's notice periods are unusually asymmetric: the tenant owes 28 days while the landlord owes 45 under § 521-71(a), and a landlord terminating for demolition or condominium conversion owes 120 days. Under HRS § 521-80, a tenant (or immediate family member residing in the unit) who was a victim of domestic violence in the 90 days before notice may terminate a rental agreement with a term of one year or less without penalty on at least 14 days' written notice accompanied by qualifying documentation, with the termination date no more than 104 days after the most recent act of violence. Rent liability after a tenant's 28-day notice is capped at the notice period even if the tenant leaves earlier.

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When to use this letter

Moving out should be the easy part — but in Hawaii, when you give notice and how you deliver it decide whether you owe another month of rent. The rule that matters: for a month-to-month tenancy, Hawaii law generally requires 28 days written notice from the tenant, under Hawaii Residential Landlord-Tenant Code — Termination of tenancy; landlord's remedies for holdover. This generator writes a tenant's notice to vacate that cites HRS § 521-71(b) by name, states your move-out date, and asks for the move-out inspection and your deposit instructions in the same letter — so nothing gets renegotiated later. No blank template to fight with: fill in your landlord, the address, and the date, then send it in a way you can prove, because notice clocks here run from delivery, not from the day you write it.