London residents on heat networks are seeing bills rise by up to 300% since 2019, with some leaseholders struggling to cope and seeking counselling for stress.
In Rusper Court, near Stockwell Station, the building uses one communal oil boiler, and residents pay through a service charge rather than directly to a provider. The council passes on the cost of soaring global oil prices to leaseholders, who also cover maintenance and repairs.
Leaseholder Costs Surge
Sebastien Cippe, a nurse, has seen his heating service charge rise from £1,211.32 in 2019 to £3,867.49 this year. 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,' he added.
Another leaseholder, Steven Schroder, saw his bills go from £998.54 in 2019 to £2,224.17 this year. Between 2024 and 2025, he paid £3,249 after being charged just under £1,000 for boiler repairs and maintenance.
No Control Over Heating
Residents on heat networks do not have their own boilers and cannot control how much their homes are heated. The entire building's heating system is communal, with a centralised boiler producing hot water for radiators. Even if residents choose to have their heating permanently off, they are still required to pay the service charge.
Because Rusper Court uses an oil boiler under a service charge, it is exempt from the energy price cap, which only applies to mains gas and electricity. Cippe has repeatedly asked Lambeth Council if he can install his own combi boiler inside his flat, but has been told no.
'It just doesn't seem fair,' he said. 'It then puts more of the costs on the residents who were refused their own boiler.'
Calls for Fairness
The high costs have also made it difficult for leaseholders to sell their homes. One resident in a three-bedroom flat has seen her heating service charge rise 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.
Liberal Democrat councillor Tamora Langley said residents are being placed 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.'
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.
