Residents have to get counselling after 'heat network trap' sees them pay 300% more in bills

Sebastien Cippe has faced a 300% increase in his heating costs (Picture: Nick Edwards for Metro) As the global cost of energy begins to soar and temperatures begin to dip, some London residents are not protected by the price cap which has saved the pockets of millions in the UK. Those living in large buildings on heat network plans pay their bills through a ‘service charge’ rather than directly to a provider. The London borough of Lambeth is particularly fond of these networks, with Metro previously reporting on Wedgewood House residents have been forced into debt to pay for heating – during heat waves.

And heat networks are still no better in the colder months. In Rusper Court, just a short walk away from Stockwell Station, residents have seen a 300% increase in their bills since 2019. The building uses one communal boiler – oil – costing huge sums as the global price soars, with the council passing on the cost to leaseholders. On top of the already high costs, residents are having to cover maintenance and repairs – with more still to come.

One leaseholder, Sebastien Cippe, who works as a nurse, has had his heating service rise from £1,211.32 in 2019 to £3,867.49 this year. The communal oil boiler at the back of Rusper Court (Picture: Nick Edwards for Metro) He told Metro: ‘It is a constant stress. I am losing sleep and having to get counselling at work. ‘I am working extra shifts just to be able to afford the service charge. I am dreading the cost of more repairs.’ Those living on a heat network plan do not have their own boilers and cannot control how much their homes are heated.

Instead, the entire building’s heating system is communal, with a centralised boiler that produces hot water and sends it to the radiators. Councillor Tamora Langley (left) has pleaded for Lambeth Council to be fair to leaseholders (Picture: Nick Edwards for Metro) So it does not matter if residents choose to have their heating permanently off, they are still required to pay the service charge. And in Rusper Court, as it is an oil boiler and comes under a service charge, they are exempt from the energy price cap as it only applies to mains gas and electricity.

Sebastien has asked repeatedly if he can install his own combi boiler inside his flat – like some of the units already have – but has been told no by Lambeth Council. Rusper Court residents are on a communal boiler system (Picture: Nick Edwards for Metro) ‘It just doesn’t seem fair,’ he said. ‘It then puts more of the costs on the residents who were refused their own boiler.’ The cost of heating has also made it near-impossible for leaseholders to sell their homes in the hope of finding somewhere more affordable.

Steven Schroder’s bills went from £998.54 in 2019 to £2,224.17 this year. From 2024 to 2025, he paid £3,249 after being charged just under £1,000 for boiler repairs and maintenance. He told Metro: ‘I live alone in a one-bedroom flat, yet my heating and hot water charges exceed in one case £3000 a year, costs that feel more comparable to those of a much larger household. ‘This has placed a considerable strain on me and is also difficult to understand.’

Another resident, who lives in a three-bedroom flat, has had her heating service charge increase from £1,486.42 in 2019 to £3,310.87 most recently. She has asked for more clarity on why her costs have more than doubled, but was not given a cost breakdown. ‘On the service charge bill, nearly every item listed includes a total estate cost, then the individual property cost, and repairs are all listed out yearly with their costs for transparency,’ she said. ‘The exception to this is heating and hot water, I do not get visibility of the total estate cost, only the property cost, so there is no transparency that I can find around cost per unit of energy and what my fair share is.’

Liberal Democrat councillor Tamora Langley said residents are being palced under ‘extreme stress’ and has urged Lambeth Council to be fair. She said: ‘The council need to make sure all leaseholders are being treated fairly. Right now, they have no control over their heating costs. This has to change.’ Those living in Wedgwood House have been granted a justidical review after Richard Clayton KC said: ‘I take that view that the Claimant’s grounds are realistically arguable in a context where they raise wider issues and points of law of general public importance.’

In 2024, Lambeth Council served 801 eviction notices to tenants over debts from heat networks, an FOI request revealed. The Social Market Foundation estimates that there may be up to 900,000 households on communal heating, including one in 12 households in social housing. Metro has contacted Lambeth Council for comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.