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Chair highlights tenant protections as Fair Housing Practices Amendment advances
Summary
The Committee on Housing advanced B26-1126, the Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act of 2025, prohibiting separate tenant charges for common-space and vacant-unit utility costs and requiring notice, documentation, and a dispute opportunity before sending alleged utility nonpayment to collections.
Council Member Robert White (Council Member at Large and Chair of the Committee on Housing) moved the committee print and report for B26-1126, the Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act of 2025; the committee approved the measure with leave for staff to make technical and conforming changes.
White described tenants across the district receiving "new and unexpected charges" on their utility bills that may not reflect usage and that tenants often do not understand. He said the bill "prohibits landlords from separately charging tenants for utility costs associated with common spaces and vacant units" and would ensure such costs, if passed on, are reflected in base rent so charges are transparent and predictable.
The bill also strengthens protections around alleged nonpayment by requiring timely notice, documentation, and an opportunity for tenants to dispute charges before accounts are sent to collections. White said the committee refined definitions (for example, defining "common spaces") and preserved the use of ratio utility billing systems with adjustments to improve fairness.
White acknowledged concerns from production-side stakeholders about regulatory burden and from some tenant advocates about potential cost-shifting into rent; the committee said it sought a balanced, targeted approach. The committee approved the committee print and left the measure to staff for technical edits.
