In southeast London’s River Gardens, residents faced a shocking £200,000 bill for heating and hot water from their communal heat network. Anja Georgiou, a mother living there, said, “If I could move, I would – to a place without a heat network. But I can’t while this debt is hanging over me.” The development uses a communal boiler supplying heat through shared pipes, common in nearly three-quarters of new London homes. In spring 2023, residents learned their heating tariff would rise sharply. Rendall & Rittner (R&R), the managing agent, added an extra charge to cover a £198,986 debt built up between 2022 and 2023. Leaseholders like Calum Matheson were told to pay hundreds more, which many found unreasonable since they had already paid their bills. R&R explained that after their energy supplier stopped buying gas, their own procurement took over but failed to update tariffs quickly despite soaring gas prices. This caused a deficit divided among residents. Outraged, residents refused to pay the extra bills without explanation. Matheson fought the charges at a property tribunal, representing 56 leaseholders. The tribunal ruled that the charges were "irrecoverable as service charges under the respective leases" and cut R&R’s fees during the debt period by 20%. However, the debt remains unsettled as refunds cannot be ordered. An R&R spokesperson stated they are reviewing the tribunal findings and that heating charges are legally payable to their client, not directly to R&R. Matheson hopes R&R will reimburse residents and that this case warns other developers. From 27 January, Ofgem began regulating heat networks to protect between 500,000 and 1 million households. Stephen Knight, chief of consumer group Heat Trust, said, “We see this quite a lot. This will effectively outlaw the practice” of retroactive bill hikes. Heat networks supply heat from a central source to multiple homes and are key to the UK's net zero goals, aiming to cover a fifth of England’s heat by 2050. But until recently they were unregulated, leaving customers vulnerable to price spikes, some up to 450% during the recent energy crisis. Ofgem’s new rules demand clear billing, fair prices, and reliable service, similar to protections for gas and electricity customers. Consumer advice services and the Energy Ombudsman now accept heat network disputes. While new protections began in 2025, consumer groups call for stronger price caps to fully safeguard users. As Georgiou poignantly puts it, residents are caught in a system they cannot escape until debts are cleared. But with Ofgem’s oversight, hope grows for fair treatment and relief from surprise bills.