I live with a victim of domestic violence who wants to end his/her rental agreement, but I want to stay. Am I allowed to?
If the victim of domestic violence is the only tenant, the rental agreement will end on the early termination date.1
If there is more than one tenant who has signed the rental agreement, the fact that the victim of domestic violence is ending his/her part of the rental agreement early doesn’t necessarily mean that the rental agreement has to end for everybody else. If you don’t want to move, you must prove to the landlord that you can pay the rent listed in the rental agreement. The landlord will then decide whether or not to allow the rental agreement to continue.
If the landlord decides that you make enough to cover the rent under the rental agreement, the rental agreement can continue without the domestic violence victim.
If the landlord decides that you can’t pay the rent without the domestic violence victim, the landlord can decide to end the rental agreement for everybody. If that happens, the landlord has to give you at least 14 days of notice. The landlord can’t charge you any fees or penalties for ending the rental agreement early. You must pay the landlord the total amount you owe under the current rental agreement on or before the early termination date.2
1 HRS § 521-80(b)
2 HRS § 521-80(c)