UHERO: Thousands in Hawai‘i are Delinquent on Rent

A new report compiled by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization shows that the number of tenants fully caught up on rent dropped from 95% prior to the pandemic to 85% in August.

Also, severe delinquencies rose to more than 8% of rental households.  The report calls the trend troubling saying that while 5% of tenants with a 60-day delinquency may seem small, that figure represents over 9,000 households.

The report by Philip Garboden states that while most tenants are paying rent, signs point to increased hardship. The study notes that job figures suggest a good portion of households that are current on rent, have experienced at least one job loss, forcing them to sacrifice well-being.

A total of 271 landlords and property managers completed the survey providing data on more than 6,700 rental units across the state.

The full report is available here.