Home › Utility billing by state

Guide District of Columbia (DC)

District of Columbia utility billing and RUBS: what landlords should know

By MeterEase · Updated

The District’s Rental Housing Act recognizes RUBS. D.C. Code § 42-3505.11, added in 2026, defines a Ratio Utility Billing System and lets housing providers use one to allocate master-metered charges, but beginning January 1, 2027 they may not separately charge tenants for utilities used in common spaces or vacant units. The Office of the Attorney General says no law sets the RUBS formula and that fees should be disclosed clearly before the lease is signed.

What the District of Columbia sources say

  • A Ratio Utility Billing System allocates actual or anticipated water, sewer, electric, oil or natural gas charges by formula; permitted methods may include square footage, occupancy or number of bedrooms (D.C. Code § 42-3505.11(c)(2)).
  • Beginning January 1, 2027, a housing provider or its billing company may not separately charge tenants, other than through monthly rent, for utility charges for common spaces (such as lobbies, leasing offices, pools and fitness centers) or vacant units (§ 42-3505.11(a), (c)(1)).
  • Nothing in that section prevents a housing provider from using RUBS to allocate master-metered charges, subject to its limits (§ 42-3505.11(b)).
  • The Office of the Attorney General says District law prohibits charging tenants fees for services a landlord is legally required to provide, including billing, metering and account fees tied to utility access, citing D.C. Code § 42-3505.10(b-2)(1).
  • The Attorney General also says RUBS disclosures should follow the Consumer Protection Procedures Act (D.C. Code § 28-3901 et seq.), with fees disclosed in a timely, prominent and accurate way.

Each point links to its source at the bottom of this page. Rules change, and cities, counties and utilities can add their own. Read the source before you rely on it.

Common lease and disclosure practices

  • Explain how each utility will be billed at the application stage and before the lease is signed, as the Attorney General recommends.
  • State the formula and which utilities are allocated.
  • From January 1, 2027, leave common-space and vacant-unit usage out of tenant charges (§ 42-3505.11(a)).

Electricity and gas

Electricity is on the District’s RUBS definition. Check the 2027 common-space rule and your utility’s terms.

How to split it fairly

Where a formula split is allowed, pick one method, put it in the lease, and use it every month. Water tends to follow the number of people, so occupants or a blend of occupants and square footage is common. Trash is usually split equally per unit. Take common-area use out first if your rules call for it, and never bill tenants more in total than the master bill plus any fee your rules allow.

Not legal advice. This page summarizes public sources in plain English as of the date above. It is not legal advice and does not mean any billing method complies with the law for your property. Check your lease and local rules, and talk to a District of Columbia attorney if you are unsure.

Other states

Run this split every month without the spreadsheet

MeterEase reads the master bill PDF, applies your method and vacancy rule, and emails each tenant their share with the source bill attached, after you check the numbers, unless you turn on auto-send for a property. Plans start at $14/month.

Sign upSign in

Questions

Is RUBS legal in D.C.?

D.C. Code § 42-3505.11 says nothing in it prevents a housing provider from using a Ratio Utility Billing System to allocate master-metered charges, subject to its limits. This is general information, not legal advice.

What changes in D.C. on January 1, 2027?

Housing providers may not separately charge tenants, other than through monthly rent, for utility charges for common spaces or vacant units.

Can a D.C. landlord charge a RUBS billing fee?

The Office of the Attorney General says District law prohibits fees for billing or metering services tied to utility access, citing D.C. Code § 42-3505.10(b-2)(1).

Related guides

Sources

Example numbers on this page are made up to show the math. This guide is general information, not legal advice; rules differ by state, city and utility.