In court-decided eviction outcomes for Maalaea, HI, tenants prevail in roughly 48.0% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
160d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Maalaea, HI until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 160 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$8.5–19.0k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Maalaea, HI costs landlords $8,486 to $19,027 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$2,156
46% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Maalaea, HI is $2,156 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 46% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
29.2%
of households
29.2% of occupied housing units in Maalaea, HI are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
9.5%
13.9% unemp.
9.5% of Maalaea, HI residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 13.9%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +25.9% (2024)
7.1
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
7.1
State political climate
Hawaii legislature & governorship
5.5
Economic stress
9.5% poverty · 13.9% unemp.
7.2
Supply constraint
$2,156 average · 29.2% renters
8.3
Rent Control risk
45.6% of income on rent
8.6
Eviction process difficulty
160 days filing → judgment
5.6
Tenant organizing strength
29.2% renters
7.1
Housing court bias
County bench composition
6.8
Geographic context
Risk heat across Maalaea and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Maalaea compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Maui County
Very High
#3of 30 cities
#3 of 30 cities in Maui County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Hawaii
Very High
#9of 161 cities
#9 of 161 cities in Hawaii for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.8
/ 10 · ELEVATED
The verdict
A Elevated-tier market.
Composite 5.8/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+3.2 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
160d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $2,156/mo. A contested eviction takes 160 days and costs $8,486–$19,027 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
29.2%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 210 residents, 29.2% rent. 46% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 9.5% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
7.1
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 7.1 and 7.1 (Dem margin +25.9% (2024)). State climate at 5.5, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
5.5
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 5.5/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 5.6, housing court bias 6.8, rent-control risk 8.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.6 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
7.2
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 7.2. Supply constraint: 8.3. The numbers behind those: 9.5% poverty, 13.9% unemployment, 46% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Maalaea sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Maalaea · 160d · ~$13.8k all-in ($86/day) · score 5.8National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Maalaea, Hawaii, presents an elevated-friction market where documented notices and proactive screening matter. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.8/10 (ELEVATED tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Elevated-friction market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Maalaea is a city of 210 residents where 29.2% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 45.6% of income on rent. At an average rent of $2,156/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Maalaea eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.6/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Maalaea closes 160 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Maalaea's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 6.8/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Maalaea runs $8,486 to $19,027 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 160 days of typical timeline and $2,156/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 7.1/10 in Maalaea, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (8.6/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Hawaii, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Maalaea: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a ELEVATED tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Hawaii's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $19,027 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Maalaea
Trap · 8.6/10
The 5.5/10 score weighs nine sub-factors including political climate, court bias, supply constraint, and tenant organizing strength. Maalaea's rent-control-risk sub-score is 8.6/10, driven by demographic and political pressure for tenant relief.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant for any reason in Maalaea?
No, not for "any" reason. While Hawaii doesn't have statewide "just-cause" eviction for month-to-month tenancies (meaning you can use a 45-day notice to terminate without specific cause), you cannot evict for discriminatory or retaliatory reasons. For a lease, you need a breach of the lease terms, like non-payment of rent or property damage. Always follow the specific notice requirements.
Q2
How long does a tenant have to pay rent after it's due in Hawaii?
There's no statutory grace period for rent in Hawaii. Rent is due on the date specified in your lease. If it's not paid, you can issue the 5-day pay-or-quit notice immediately after the due date, unless your lease specifies a longer grace period. Don't confuse grace periods with the 5-day notice period.
Q3
Can I keep the security deposit for unpaid rent or damages?
Yes, you can deduct unpaid rent and damages beyond normal wear and tear from the security deposit. However, you must provide an itemized statement of deductions to the tenant within 14 days of them vacating the property. If you fail to do this, you risk losing your right to keep any of the deposit and could owe the tenant double the amount wrongfully withheld. Keep receipts for all repairs.
Q4
What if the tenant abandons the property?
If a tenant abandons the property and is clearly not coming back, you can generally take possession. However, Hawaii law has specific procedures for determining abandonment (e.g., absence for a certain period, removal of personal belongings, non-payment of rent). You need to follow these rules carefully to avoid an illegal eviction claim. Consult an attorney if you suspect abandonment.
Q5
Is there rent control in Maalaea or Hawaii?
No, there is no statewide rent control in Hawaii. Local jurisdictions, including Maui County, also do not have rent control ordinances at this time. This means you can generally set your rent at market rates and increase it with proper notice. However, this could change in the future, so stay informed. See our Hawaii rent control rules for updates.
A 5.8/10 places Maalaea in the 98th percentile of Hawaii cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has risen sharply since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Maalaea (5.8/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
