Lambeth heat network bills triple for leaseholders in Rusper Court

Leaseholders in Rusper Court, a residential block near Stockwell Station in London, are facing heating bills that have risen by 300 percent since 2019. The increase is driven by the building’s reliance on a communal oil boiler, a system that falls outside the national energy price cap because it is not connected to the mains gas or electricity grid.

The building uses a single central boiler to heat water for all units. Because the heating is managed through a service charge rather than a direct utility bill, residents cannot switch providers or adjust usage to lower costs. Even when flats are kept cool, the service charge remains fixed. This structure leaves tenants paying for energy they do not directly control while global fuel prices climb.

Sebastien Cippe, a nurse living in the building, sees his annual heating service charge rise from £1,211.32 in 2019 to £3,867.49 this year. He said the financial pressure is causing him to lose sleep and seek counseling at work. To cover the service charge, he is working extra shifts. Cippe asked Lambeth Council to allow him to install a personal combi boiler, a solution some other units have adopted, but the council refused the request.

He stated, 'It just doesn’t seem fair. It then puts more of the costs on the residents who were refused their own boiler.' Other residents report similar strains. Steven Schroder, who lives alone in a one-bedroom flat, saw his bills increase from £998.54 in 2019 to £2,224.17 this year. In the 2024 to 2025 period, his total payment reached £3,249 after a boiler repair cost of nearly £1,000 was added to the service charge.

A resident in a three-bedroom flat reported her heating service charge grew from £1,486.42 in 2019 to £3,310.87 most recently. She noted that while other service charge items list both total estate costs and individual property costs, the heating line item only shows the property cost. She said she lacks visibility into the total estate cost and the cost per unit of energy, making it difficult to verify her fair share.

Liberal Democrat councillor Tamora Langley described the situation as placing residents under 'extreme stress.' She urged Lambeth Council to ensure leaseholders are treated fairly, noting that they currently have no control over their heating costs. The council has been contacted for comment.

In 2024, Lambeth Council issued 801 eviction notices to tenants over debts related to heat networks, according to a Freedom of Information request. Residents at Wedgwood House, another building in the borough, have been granted a judicial review after a legal expert said their case raised points of law of general public importance. The Social Market Foundation estimates up to 900,000 households in the UK rely on communal heating systems.