[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6543405,"mediaKeyId","3584779-7d2560e47a4ef3c99a4bfeea6b72b883","parentId",3584779,"title","Councilmember Allen presses ban on hidden common‑area utility fees in Fair Housing bill","audioSeconds",222,"startMs",783000,"endMs",1005000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3584779-7d2560e47a4ef3c99a4bfeea6b72b883&start=783&end=1005","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3584779-7d2560e47a4ef3c99a4bfeea6b72b883/thumbnail_783000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6543405/Councilmember-Allen-presses-ban-on-hidden-commonarea-utility-fees-in-Fair-Housing-bill","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543405-932487ba9c608bccf6bbd1ff0f4b2992/orig.mp4?Expires=1770687930&Signature=BDX9RoWXa23t2QcMhHql~3m~PmjUhwQ36B8aDCh-BD9MPXnyaleZ2GekljCf63gefCU2xWNbivfX21hxtpxEZqJ2Wz~dc5sKU~1N-w8UbkISv3b-GXjbW6mYyMYGMQX-AEH9mdsBO2w26bBgcCDfZ5AhHaJYdBU3me~1DI8zYJVw0yKnv9I4Dhg~ADyh7GRzJQEBM2sE9hslr6tUT2kn4Bb~gRvzRv-0vsxkz2v9t65f9MHhWrIbtNAKc1RYGIdIBsf-O0pwShCGNclRS09790mcyGSM~4RFcCC0f2hy6W11Oglxd-XvL44ik-a9GtC3I5uxRMa9v7Pff0LGlxARNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","District of Columbia (Housing)","date","2025-05-28T00:00:00Z","article","Washington — Councilmember Charles Allen urged the Committee on Housing on May 28 to adopt legislation that would ban landlords from imposing undisclosed common‑area utility fees on tenants, saying the practice masks true rent and “drip‑prices” renters.

Allen said his Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act (B26‑126) responds to constituent complaints that managers charge large, opaque monthly fees for hallway lighting, common HVAC and other shared services that tenants did not expect when they signed leases. \"These charges are in addition to their own unit's utility charges,\" Allen said, and can be “hundreds of dollars in surprise costs.”

Why it matters: Tenants said the fees hide the true cost of housing and complicate household budgeting; Allen described the practice as “drip pricing” and called for transparency and a prohibition on pass‑throughs unless clearly disclosed.

Reactions at the hearing

- Support for tenant protections: Children's Law Center voiced support for the Fair Housing bill as a remedy to harmful billing practices. Several council members and tenant advocates said the practice undermines tenants’ financial planning.

- Concern from providers: Developers and property managers acknowledged utility costs and operational pressures. Several witnesses asked the committee to craft narrowly tailored rules that protect tenants without unduly harming building operations, and to consider legitimate cost‑recovery needs.

- Enforcement and drafting points: Witnesses and councilmembers recommended clear statutory language on what counts as a pass‑through, required disclosures at lease signing, and remedies for tenants. Allen said he expects pushback from some housing providers but emphasized the need for a simple rule: “let the rent be the rent.”

No vote occurred; the committee continued a larger hearing that covered the Rental Act, TOPA reforms and eviction proposals.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","District of Columbia (Housing) - Committee on Housing, Public Hearing (Part 1), Robert White, Chairperson - May 28, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Councilmember Charles Allen told the Committee on Housing he introduced the Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act to stop landlords from charging tenants undisclosed common‑area or ‘drip’ utility fees. He framed the bill as consumer protection; housing providers warned about operating costs and asked for clear rules.","taxTitle","Committee on Housing, Committees, Legislative, District of Columbia","taxId",15953,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6543409,"Hearing highlights rent‑arrears crisis and contested eviction reforms in Rental Act",7903,78000,7981000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3584779-7d2560e47a4ef3c99a4bfeea6b72b883&start=78&end=7981","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3584779-7d2560e47a4ef3c99a4bfeea6b72b883/thumbnail_78000.jpg","/articles/6543409/Hearing-highlights-rentarrears-crisis-and-contested-eviction-reforms-in-Rental-Act","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543409-ff96a5fa02d4570c5cdb024fb61fa00f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770687930&Signature=VoRP6TKz0lggNP~w3HF~tH1323o8YYD4Syt7ry5AiEsQ-1GId3jvI98AUz8wVKPYcyUIxX7yHHIbJr~TXGPqn91N299KezdaVWw8ACUk-f3m4frpZAy2CaAhgE1KKhuUZ3tG9oZ2WSS5AhtVvO9Z5GfPp8cGYAf-G5UCsa1lKCQYmLXRb8LiAxpuDP1dmBMzQHoLQjLTEouTo-9~7rnlp7a0XLdhoMKupvXIcabSbUY9j0JlGLykQRbPhHqNo1V0FyPv3OAO5oISjiBvv7G6xYtSgQjWY~WduBWltIY~3pDLprNBRL5jCfue53dO60NaEuGDxh4w0RBJ7Jy-cmnYcg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Washington — Affordable housing providers, mission developers and property managers described a rent‑arrears crisis at a May 28 Committee on Housing hearing and urged council action on several fronts, even as advocates cautioned against eviction law changes that could harm tenants.

Magnitude and operational impact: Multiple witnesses said delinquency and unpaid rents surged during and after the pandemic and have strained providers. Pamela Lee of the NHP Foundation said NHP’s rent collection in D.C. fell from 95% pre‑pandemic to 82% last year and the organization has written off more than $16 million in uncollectible rent since 2020. Michael Huke (CIH Properties) estimated the city‑wide shortfall could be on the order of hundreds of millions, saying provider reserves and equity are being exhausted.

Industry and nonprofit proposals

- Faster court processing and clarified rules: Providers and industry groups asked the council to restore quicker eviction timelines and to give judges more discretion to proceed despite technical filing defects. Michael Huke said cases that used to resolve in months now take years, and that lengthy timelines exacerbate providers’ losses.

- Targeted revenue and stabilization funds: Several nonprofit providers backed proposals to expand Housing Production Trust Fund allocations and to fund a housing stabilization program to resolve tenant debt. Pamela Lee and Enterprise Community Partners urged a dual track of stabilization for legacy deals and funding for new construction.

- Public‑safety eviction provisions: The Rental Act and the Eviction Reform Amendment Act would add grounds and procedural changes for expedited removal in some public‑safety cases. Aoba (Apartment and Office Building Association) and other housing providers urged faster removal options for violent or threatening tenants; however, Children's Law Center urged caution and said the proposed language could be overly broad and asked for more stakeholder input.

Court and procedural fixes proposed

Witnesses urged several technical changes the committee could adopt to ease transactional friction or speed enforcement:

- Shorten administrative TOPA notices and redundant waiting periods that prolong closings.

- Increase coordination and resources for the Superior Court to move nonpayment cases more swiftly, including greater capacity for mediation, judicial discretion and targeted eviction tracks for criminal activity.

- Create shared burden models for arrears resolution. Michael Huke proposed a model where D.C. covers 50% of tenant arrears, housing providers absorb 20% and tenants repay about 30% over time; other witnesses proposed rent‑assistance or targeted vouchers as alternatives.

Advocates’ caution

Children’s Law Center and other tenant advocates asked the council not to adopt permanent changes to the eviction code without extensive stakeholder input, citing the severe consequences eviction can impose on children and families. McKenna Osborne (Children's Law Center) explicitly opposed adding a broad new public‑safety ground for eviction and urged a narrower approach or fixes to existing law and implementation gaps.

No formal votes were taken. Council members asked for more data on arrears, eviction processing times and the effects of pandemic‑era emergency measures before finalizing legislation.

","At the Committee on Housing hearing, nonprofit providers, mission developers and property owners described high rent arrears and long eviction backlogs. Advocates urged caution about expanding expedited public‑safety evictions; industry groups pushed for restored eviction timelines and other court changes to stabilize operations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6543414,"Council hearing on Rental Act spotlights sharp split over TOPA reforms",8255,361000,8616000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3584779-7d2560e47a4ef3c99a4bfeea6b72b883&start=361&end=8616","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3584779-7d2560e47a4ef3c99a4bfeea6b72b883/thumbnail_361000.jpg","/articles/6543414/Council-hearing-on-Rental-Act-spotlights-sharp-split-over-TOPA-reforms","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543414-ecbd1539844df16783f44bbe819cacb5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770687930&Signature=IJkJiPoam4bULDlJS~KyBKUdHGcM1ERU7zKNLxRwkVD4s-MGNEAtLd4CLIqyLlK~I2OpqASwBgQMIy6R9l-T7RPN3lBC1xbBl-GCuI80v86IZ7FpoSs7T7usWbdExEha2QrxLK31xQs7xu8raj1~hUNHMyFmxnMILNEvoPB6BLuNl0PT1hz1JdDeg2vvLboZipOzEgwEsMbtR1jRKFwdkXfiAgVBTYfuMfNzqMLiycX-AOFVbM~FmgkFkBISPi0Wf4RzTuo4JUw2bZxLzQfmCxcvbt119tLPThATUFPDICOSZNKqFgcRW56KN9lGujtBtRzMl1-S-9BuzTujL-Vq~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Washington — The D.C. Committee on Housing spent much of its May 28 public hearing parsing proposals to change the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, or TOPA, as developers, nonprofit housing providers and tenant advocates clashed over exemptions and timelines in the Rental Act (B26‑164) and companion TOPA bills (including B26‑228 and Councilmember Nadeau’s Common Sense TOPA reform bill).

The debate opened with Committee Chair Robert White (Councilmember at‑large) saying the city faces “a housing crisis that’s pushing families to the brink” and that TOPA “is an amazing program” that nevertheless may not be working as originally intended (Chair Robert White, Committee on Housing). White listed the Rental Act and several related bills at the hearing’s start and set public testimony rules.

Why it matters: TOPA gives tenants a formal role when their buildings are sold. Proponents of the Rental Act and a separate TOPA-clearing bill told council that long, unpredictable TOPA timelines and legal uncertainty have driven capital away from D.C., reduced new housing production and stalled projects that could fund affordable housing preservation. Opponents said the proposals would strip tenants of bargaining power and could increase displacement, especially for low‑income households.

Developers and industry groups urged exemptions and longer carveouts. Liz DeBarros, CEO of the D.C. Building Industry Association, said Title 4 of the Rental Act “modernizes TOPA with three narrow, impactful exemptions” and urged extending a proposed new‑construction exemption to 25 years to align with investment cycles. Erica Watlington (DCBIA) said a three‑year exemption is “not sufficient” and asked for something closer to 25 years to allow investors to stabilize projects. Several private developers, including Robert Murphy (MRP Realty) and Jair Lynch (Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners), warned institutional capital is redirecting investments to neighboring jurisdictions.

By contrast, tenant and preservation advocates warned proposed exemptions would undercut TOPA’s core protections. Maya Brennan, chief housing officer at the Coalition (formerly CNHED), said the coalition supports some reforms but “do not support new subparagraphs R and S in title 4 of the Rental Act.” Vic Goncalves of Mi Casa/Mikasa and other mission providers pressed that TOPA remains essential to preventing displacement and enabling tenant purchases or assignments to community‑minded buyers.

Points of contention

- Length of any new‑construction exemption. Industry witnesses recommended 3–25 years; some developer witnesses said 25 years would align with investment timelines while preservation groups argued that 3–5 years could be adequate for stabilization and that 25 years is too long.

- Covenanted affordable properties. Some developer testimony supported exempting properties that already carry long‑term affordability covenants; tenant advocates and legal commenters warned that covenants alone do not guarantee resident protections and that exemptions would remove tenants’ agency.

- Process clarity, data and enforcement. Title companies and the D.C. Policy Center urged clearer statutory definitions (tenant, consideration, timelines) and restoring or clarifying an administrative certification process at DHCD so buyers, sellers and lenders are not exposed to unpredictable litigation risk.

Evidence and examples offered at the hearing

- The D.C. Policy Center said TOPA activity is concentrated in older, rent‑controlled buildings and estimated that the Rental Act as drafted would exempt a small share (about 6%) of properties currently subject to TOPA activity.

- Nonprofit developers such as Preservation of Affordable Housing and NHP Foundation said TOPA can work for preservation deals but that transactional delays and uncertainty can make preservation infeasible without additional public funding and clearer procedures.

- Brokers, title agents and market analysts described deals that took more than a year or 400 days because of TOPA timelines or uncertainty, often freezing capital until compliance issues were resolved.

What was asked of council

Witnesses on both sides asked the Committee on Housing to make drafting changes: tighten statutory definitions, shorten or clarify TOPA timelines, create enforceable penalties for bad actors and provide better data collection on TOPA outcomes. Several affordable housing providers urged additional public preservation funding alongside process reforms so tenant‑led or nonprofit acquisitions remain feasible.

Looking ahead

Committee Chair White said the hearing would inform a markup process. The hearing produced no formal votes. Members signaled they want more data on transaction timing and who would be affected by exemptions before adopting any final language.

","At a Committee on Housing public hearing May 28, council members, tenant advocates and developers debated changes to the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) proposed in multiple bills, with developers urging broad exemptions to restore investment and tenant advocates warning exemptions would erode tenant agency and risk displacement.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Councilmember Allen presses ban on hidden common‑area utility fees in Fair Housing bill

Hearing highlights rent‑arrears crisis and contested eviction reforms in Rental Act

Council hearing on Rental Act spotlights sharp split over TOPA reforms