2026-09-09 · District of Columbia · Legislation

A District of Columbia unit owner who leases their condominium unit will not be able to pass common-area utility costs through as a separate charge from January 1, 2027. The Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act of 2026 took effect August 14, 2026.¹

What it provides

New D.C. Code § 42-3505.11: “Beginning on January 1, 2027, a housing provider, or any third party contracted by the housing provider, shall not separately charge tenants, other than through monthly rent, for the utility charges accrued by the housing accommodation for its common spaces or vacant units.”

The Act also rewrites § 42-3505.10(b-2)(1)(A) to bar fees “for services or facilities related to utilities, trash, locks, administrative fees for third-party billing, or other services or facilities required to be provided.”

And it adds a documented process at § 42-3502.17(e). Within 45 days of a tenancy ending, a housing provider must give written notice of alleged unpaid amounts, with “[p]hotographs or other documentation.” The tenant gets 30 days to dispute; the provider gets 10 days to respond; and proof of service must be retained “for at least 60 days prior to sending the unpaid amount to a debt collector.”

The boundary, stated plainly

This is a rental statute. It binds a housing provider — in a condominium, the unit owner who leases — and it does not reach the association's allocation of common-element utility cost through assessments.

An association may continue to allocate water, common-area electricity and central plant costs the way its condominium instruments provide. Nothing in this Act changes that.

1. D.C. Law 26-156, the Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act of 2026 (Bill 26-126; D.C. Act 26-342; 73 DCR 9155; effective Aug. 14, 2026) ↩
2. D.C. Code § 42-3505.10 — fees a housing provider may not charge, as amended ↩