Explainer: Will pricey Hawaiʻi do enough to limit evictions?

The existing moratorium currently prohibits evictions because a tenant has fallen behind on their rent.

Ray Kong, director of litigation at Lawyers for Equal Justice, said he has heard of landlords attempting to get around the moratorium by filing broad cases to evict people for damaging property or otherwise violating lease terms. If tenants don’t show up in court to answer these cases, a default judgement may be issued against them. Kong said it’s vital that tenants show up in court so a judge can determine whether a case should go to mediation.