For Washington City Paper, contributor Suzie Amanuel's exposed how landlords across the District are billing tenants for the cost of water, electricity, sewer, and gas used in common areas and community spaces, like gyms or leasing offices.

"Nic Rogers, who moved into the Cielo last August, says his utility charges tripled since LCOR added common area fees,“ wrote Amanuel. "'The gym has been 80 degrees for a month and somehow we’re still being charged for HVAC,' Rogers says. 'It’s really shady because the fees were never spelled out. If they told me ahead of time, I could have made the choice to live somewhere else.'"

A month after Amanuel's investigation was published, D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen introduced legislation to ban common area utility fees in large buildings.