STAND. COM. REP. NO.  325

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 1009

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 1009 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE LANDLORD TENANT CODE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1)  Allow a landlord to prohibit a tenant from accessing a dwelling unit when the tenant quits the premises for failure to pay rent or the landlord has been awarded possession by the court, provided that the landlord provides the tenant access to the dwelling unit for a period of one day for the removal of personal property; and

(2)  In such cases, deem the personal property abandoned and allow the landlord to immediately dispose of the tenant's property if the tenant fails to remove and dispose of the property within one day.

The Office of Consumer Protection of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Lawyers for Equal Justice testified in opposition to this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Requiring a landlord to provide a tenant access to the dwelling unit for a period of 24 hours to remove the tenant's personal property; and

(2)  Changing its effective date to take effect upon a date to be determined to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1009, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1009, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,

____________________________

TOM BROWER, Chair