In court-decided eviction outcomes for Waihee-Waiehu, HI, tenants prevail in roughly 41.3% 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
141d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Waihee-Waiehu, HI until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 141 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$8.6–17.8k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Waihee-Waiehu, HI costs landlords $8,608 to $17,785 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$2,191
41% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Waihee-Waiehu, HI is $2,191 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 41% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
16.3%
of households
16.3% of occupied housing units in Waihee-Waiehu, 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
8.4%
3.4% unemp.
8.4% of Waihee-Waiehu, HI residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 3.4%. 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
8.4% poverty · 3.4% unemp.
4.9
Supply constraint
$2,191 average · 16.3% renters
6.5
Rent Control risk
40.8% of income on rent
6.7
Eviction process difficulty
141 days filing → judgment
5.0
Tenant organizing strength
16.3% renters
3.4
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.6
Geographic context
Risk heat across Waihee-Waiehu and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Waihee-Waiehu compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Maui County
Very Low
#26of 30 cities
#26 of 30 cities in Maui County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Hawaii
Low
#127of 161 cities
#127 of 161 cities in Hawaii for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.1
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 5.1/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.6 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
141d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $2,191/mo. A contested eviction takes 141 days and costs $8,608–$17,785 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
16.3%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 10,988 residents, 16.3% rent. 41% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 8.4% 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, housing court bias 5.6, rent-control risk 6.7. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
4.9
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 4.9. Supply constraint: 6.5. The numbers behind those: 8.4% poverty, 3.4% unemployment, 41% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Waihee-Waiehu sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Waihee-Waiehu · 141d · ~$13.2k all-in ($94/day) · score 5.1National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Waihee-Waiehu, Hawaii, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.1/10 (MODERATE 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 Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Waihee-Waiehu is a city of 10,988 residents where 16.3% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 40.8% of income on rent. At an average rent of $2,191/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 Waihee-Waiehu eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5/10, 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 Waihee-Waiehu closes 141 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 Waihee-Waiehu's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.6/10 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 Waihee-Waiehu runs $8,608 to $17,785 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 141 days of typical timeline and $2,191/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.4/10 in Waihee-Waiehu, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (6.7/10). 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 Waihee-Waiehu: 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 MODERATE 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 $17,785 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Waihee-Waiehu
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Cost-versus-timeline trade-off: at 141 days and roughly $17,785 on the high end, cash-for-keys at $7,114 to $10,671 typically beats the legal route for non-aggravated cases. Default judgment frequency is high under HRS 521.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I turn off utilities if a tenant doesn't pay rent in Waihee-Waiehu?
Absolutely not. Turning off utilities, changing locks, or removing a tenant's belongings is illegal self-help eviction in Hawaii. You must follow the legal eviction process through the courts. Doing otherwise can lead to severe penalties, including owing the tenant damages.
Q2
How much can I charge for late fees on rent in Waihee-Waiehu?
Hawaii law allows for reasonable late fees. While there isn't a specific percentage cap in HRS § 521, courts generally consider fees around 5-10% of the monthly rent to be reasonable. Make sure your lease clearly states the late fee amount and when it applies. Don't try to make a profit off late fees.
Q3
Is there rent control in Waihee-Waiehu or Maui County?
No, there is no statewide rent control in Hawaii, and specifically no rent control in Waihee-Waiehu or Maui County. This means you can raise rents to market rates, provided you give proper notice (usually 45 days for month-to-month tenancies). However, always be mindful of local market conditions. For more details, see our Hawaii rent control rules.
Q4
What if my tenant claims they have a "source of income" protection?
Hawaii does not have a statewide source-of-income protection law. This means you are generally not prohibited from discriminating against tenants based on their source of income (e.g., Section 8 vouchers), unless a specific local ordinance applies. Always check with a local attorney, but for now, this isn't a statewide concern. Read more at Hawaii tenant protections.
Q5
What's the best way to handle a tenant who constantly pays late but eventually pays?
Consistency is key. If your lease states rent is due on the 1st and late on the 5th, always issue your 5-day pay-or-quit notice on the 5th. If you let it slide sometimes, you create a pattern that can weaken your position in court. If they pay within the 5 days, great. If not, you've started the formal process. Don't be a pushover, or you'll train your tenants to pay late.
Q6
Should I use a property manager in Waihee-Waiehu?
For landlords with 1-5 units, a property manager can be a significant expense. However, if you have a day job, live off-island, or simply don't have the time or temperament for tenant issues and evictions, a good local property manager can be invaluable. They handle notices, screenings, and often have relationships with attorneys, potentially streamlining the eviction process if it becomes necessary. Consider the trade-off between the management fee and your time, stress, and potential legal costs. For Maui County specifics, check our Maui County eviction guide.
A 5.1/10 places Waihee-Waiehu in the 33rd 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 Waihee-Waiehu (5.1/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
