Legal experts say no spike in evictions in Hawaii yet despite end of moratorium

By Nicole Tam

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    HAWAII, USA (KITV) — A flood of eviction notices was expected across the state when a moratorium ended last month and landlords were legally allowed to file to remove tenants. Dan O’Meara, an attorney with Legal Aid Society of Hawaii says he’s pleasantly surprised not more people are looking for help. He believes it’s because there’s enough rent relief assistance programs.

O’Meara says another reason for the slow-down could be Act 57, a law that changed eviction procedures for non-payment. Landlords are forced to give a notice of termination to tenants at least 15 calendar days instead of five days before eviction proceedings can begin and they must engage in mediation efforts.

“More people are getting these notices. There’s more anxiety now,” O’Meara said.

He says a big problem now is some tenants are not reaching out for help, some people don’t even know what resources are available.

“Not as many people are scheduling mediation as we hope, trying to take advantage of that opportunity to work it out between the two parties,” O’Meara said.

Community groups also offer assistance such as the Windward Eviction Prevention Program. Since it began in April, organizers report about 550 families between Waimanalo and Kahuku received help.

“The need is still great. The need is still out there. We want people to know even if their landlord given more time, this is the time to seek assistance,” Jill Tokuda, Harold KL Castle Foundation consultant, said. “It’s about making sure our children, our kupuna, our families are able to draw down on the much-needed and available funds that we received from the federal government.”

Other organizations such as Catholic Charities Hawaii has been working with Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and the Mediation Center of the Pacific since the moratorium ended. The organization reports some callers have heard about mediation but many people don’t understand exactly how it works.

The City and County of Honolulu reopened its rent relief program for applications last week. A spokesperson reports there have been around 3,000 applications so far. Since the program began in April, more than 8,000 households on the island received federal funds, totaling more than $70 million.

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