Residents at a block of flats in north-west London have been left without heating or hot water due to historic unpaid bills of £600,000, despite monthly payments being made over several years.
About 126 homes have been affected since 23 October. In a letter to residents, the developer and buildings management said about £300,000 is owed to the gas provider and £300,000 to the electricity provider.
The building’s management company, Rendall & Rittner, said: “We fully recognise the seriousness of the situation and the impact it is having on residents, particularly families and those who may be vulnerable.”
The freeholder did not respond to a request for comment from London.
Rendell & Ritter added: “Our immediate priority is to support residents and to work with the freeholder and energy supplier to have the gas supply reinstated as quickly as possible.”
Rendall & Rittner took over management of the building in Dollis Hill in May this year.
Lucy Baxter, who moved in four years ago when the building was new, said: “I have a one-year-old, so it’s very difficult.
“I haven’t been able to give her a bath and our flat is on a lower ground floor, so it’s much colder and we’re really struggling.
“There are other disabled residents here, disabled children, elderly residents and lots of families. I’m very concerned.”
She said tenants had received a warning letter from a debt collection agency about three weeks earlier but had since been “left in the dark” about the situation.
But management claimed residents had been kept informed since the outage began and that it intended to hold a residents’ meeting in the near future.