Question: If I have a yearlong lease, how long in advance does my landlord have to tell me whether he’s going to renew it?
Answer: Your landlord is not required by law to notify you because you have a fixed-term rental agreement with a stated termination date. “Termination is automatic and there is no notice requirement” in that case, according to Hawaii’s Landlord-Tenant Handbook, which is based on Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 521, the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code.
However, even though state law doesn’t require it, communication is crucial to avoid disputes. “Since there is no notice requirement, the expiration of a lease can create great problems if the landlord and the tenant do not communicate with one another. This is because the relationship between the landlord and the tenant depends on their intentions. A failure to inform the other about these intentions can cause critical misunderstandings,” the handbook says.
You may reach out to your landlord to seek renewal of your long-term lease or ask to stay on a month-to-month basis. If you remain in the unit after the termination date without your landlord’s consent, you would become a holdover tenant, the handbook says.
“As a holdover, the tenant may be liable to the landlord for a sum which is not more than twice the monthly rent under the previous agreement, calculated on a daily basis for each day the tenant remains in the unit,” it says.
The landlord may sue to evict a holdover tenant anytime during the first 60 days of the holdover, it says. If the landlord does not sue within that time period and a new rental agreement is not reached, holdover status would convert to month-to-month tenancy at the rent stated in the previous agreement, it says.
Read more on the state Office of Consumer Protection’s website, at cca.hawaii.gov/ocp/landlord-tenant.
Q: How do I get proof that my vehicle doesn’t have a Hawaii title? I can’t do this in person.
A: You can request verification that your vehicle was not issued a Hawaii title by mail or email, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services. Here’s the process, as spelled out on the department’s website:
>> Send a letter to the Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing requesting a verification that a Hawaii title was not issued.
>> Along with the request, include the following information in your letter: name (as it appears on the vehicle registration), current mailing address, vehicle identification number (VIN), license plate number and your email address, so the city can follow up with you if necessary. Be sure to sign and date the letter.
>> Mail the letter to Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing, P.O. Box 30330, Honolulu, HI 96820-0330; or email it to MVINFO@honolulu.gov.
The website does not say how long it takes to fulfill such requests.
E kala mai
I’m sorry that our dog was barking all weekend while we were away. We hired a dog sitter, but it wasn’t enough. — Reader
Mahalo
Mahalo to Niki for helping this “grandma in distress,” who flagged her down on Likelike Mall between Iolani Palace and the state library. I had been trying to use a borrowed cellphone to let my son know that my granddaughter was ready to be picked up. After 35 minutes of “no signal,” I saw this kind young woman who agreed to troubleshoot the cellphone. When Niki realized that the problem was not a lack of Wi-Fi, but a lack of funds on the phone account, she kindly called my son on her own phone and arranged a meeting place. Many blessings to Niki. — Grateful grandma
Mahalo
A big mahalo to the angel who called 911 when my husband fell on Hart Street. Thanks to you, he’s all right. Blessings to you. — D.F.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
