Bill > HB2188

This bill, known as the Hawaii Tenant Screening Fairness Act, aims to reduce housing costs and improve access to rental housing by requiring landlords or their agents to accept comprehensive reusable tenant screening reports provided by applicants, and prohibiting application fees when such reports are used. A "comprehensive reusable tenant screening report" is defined as a consumer report prepared within the last thirty days by a consumer credit reporting agency, which includes the applicant's name, contact information, employment verification, last known address, criminal background check, and credit report, and is either provided directly to the landlord or through a compliant third-party website. If a landlord or agent refuses to accept such a report, they can be liable to the applicant for $250 plus attorney fees and costs, and may face fines of up to $250, or up to $500 for repeat violations within ten years, with these fines potentially assessed by the office of consumer protection. The bill also mandates that landlords disclose to applicants their right to provide a reusable screening report and prohibits charging an application fee or a fee for accessing the report if a valid, thirty-day-old report is provided, though landlords may still charge for information not contained in the report. This legislation is set to take effect on July 1, 3000.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2188&year=2026