My previous tenant when moved from the apartment asked me to keep his refrigerator and cooler for some time. I had to rent out the apartment to a new tenant, so that I stored the tenant’s property in my neighbors’ godown and now the tenant wants the prope

Full question:

My previous tenant, when moved from the apartment asked me to keep his refrigerator and cooler for some time. I had to rent out the apartment to a new tenant so that I stored the tenant’s property in my neighbors’ godown and now the tenant wants the property back. Will I be reimbursed for the storage costs of the tenant’s belongings in Hawaii?

• Category: Abandoned Property
• Subcategory: Landlord Tenant
• Date: 04/07/2025
• State: Hawaii

Answer:

According to Hawaii law, you may store the property at the tenant’s expense. If the tenant has quit the premises pursuant to a notice to quit or upon the natural expiration of the term, the landlord may either sell such belongings or may store them at the tenant's expense, after serving a notice to the tenant. If the tenant comes for the property after receiving your notice, you are not required to give it back unless the tenant pays you for the reasonable costs of storing it.

The relevant law in this regard has been given below.
 
Hawaii Revised Statutes § 521-56. 

Disposition of tenant's abandoned possessions.

(a) When the tenant, within the meaning of section 521-70(d) or section 521-44(d), has wrongfully quit the premises, or when the tenant has quit the premises pursuant to a notice to quit or upon the natural expiration of the term, and has abandoned personalty which the landlord, in good faith, determines to be of value, in or around the premises, the landlord may sell such personalty, in a commercially reasonable manner, store such personalty at the tenant's expense, or donate such personalty to a charitable organization. Before selling or donating such personalty, the landlord shall make reasonable efforts to apprise the tenant of the identity and location of, and the landlord's intent to sell or donate such personalty by mailing notice to the tenant's forwarding address, or to an address designated by the tenant for the purpose of notification or if neither of these is available, to the tenant's previous known address. Following such notice, the landlord may sell the personalty after advertising the sale in a daily paper of general circulation within the circuit in which the premises is located for at least three consecutive days, or the landlord may donate the personalty to a charitable organization; provided that such sale or donation shall not take place until fifteen days after notice is mailed, after which the tenant is deemed to have received notice.
(b) The proceeds of the sale of personalty under subsection (a) shall, after deduction of accrued rent and costs of storage and sale, including the cost of advertising, be held in trust for the tenant for thirty days, after which time the proceeds shall be forfeited to the landlord.
(c) When the tenant has quit the premises any personalty in or around the premises left unsold after conformance to subsection (a) or otherwise left abandoned by the tenant and determined by the landlord to be of no value may be disposed of at the landlord's discretion without liability to the landlord.

 
Hawaii Revised Statutes § 290-1 

Disposition by counties of certain abandoned vehicles.

(a) The counties may cause vehicles that have been abandoned to be taken into custody and disposed of. For the purposes of this subsection, a vehicle is "abandoned" if it is defined to be abandoned by an ordinance of the county in which the vehicle is located. In the absence of such an ordinance, a vehicle is "abandoned" if it is left unattended for a continuous period of more than twenty-four hours and it is unlawfully parked on any public highway or other public property or private lands defined as a setback, shoulder, easement, or right of way that is adjacent to or part of a public highway. The mayors of the several counties may designate an agency within their counties to carry out the functions and requirements of this section. The term "agency" means any office, department, or other governmental unit of the county.
(b) The Hawaii public housing authority may cause vehicles that have been abandoned on any public housing property owned, managed, or administered by the Hawaii public housing authority to be taken into custody and disposed of. For the purposes of this subsection, a vehicle is "abandoned" if it is left unattended for a continuous period of more than twenty-four hours after a notice is conspicuously posted on the vehicle that the vehicle is subject to disposal pursuant to this subsection.
(c) At the request of the landowner, a county may cause vehicles to be taken into custody and disposed of that have been abandoned on roads for which dedication to the State or county is pending. For purposes of this subsection, a vehicle is deemed abandoned if it is left unattended for a continuous period of more than twenty-four hours after a notice is conspicuously posted on the vehicle stating that the vehicle is subject to disposal pursuant to this subsection.