The law in plain English
Return deadline
Under Haw. Rev. Stat. Section 521-44, the deposit response usually has to be sent within 14 days of the move-out timeline described by the state rule.
Required notice
Hawaii generally caps the deposit at 1 month's rent, and the landlord usually has 14 days to send the refund and itemized statement; bad-faith withholding is where the treble-damages exposure matters most.
This dispute type
In Hawaii, renters usually challenge deposit deductions for scuffs, faded paint, flattened carpet, and similar aging because those issues look more like ordinary use than repairable damage. The statute still controls when the refund had to be sent and how deductions had to be explained.
Penalty leverage
If the withholding was wrongful or in bad faith, the exposure allowed under the statute is: Bad faith: you can recover up to treble (3x) the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees and court costs