Voltify Contractors provides property maintenance in North Greenwich as part of its documented SE10 coverage, handling plumbing, electrical, appliance-installation, decorating and general repair jobs in flats and houses. In apartment buildings one question tends to come before the rest: when the heating or hot water stops, is it a job for a contractor at all, or for the company that supplies your heat? This page explains how to tell, and which work you can arrange directly.
Is your flat on a heat network?
A heat network, sometimes called communal or district heating, supplies heat from a central source to homes through pipes carrying hot water, as the Energy Ombudsman puts it. Instead of a boiler, each flat usually has a heat interface unit (HIU), where heat from the building’s system is passed to your radiators and hot taps, along with a heat meter. You are probably on one if:
- there is no boiler in the flat and no gas meter;
- your heating and hot water are billed by a heat supplier or your building’s management company rather than an energy supplier;
- a cupboard contains a metal unit labelled HIU, often with a meter next to it.
Since 27 January 2026, heat networks in Great Britain have been regulated by Ofgem, with rules covering billing, customer service, complaints and protections for vulnerable customers.
When the heating or hot water stops
Work through these checks before booking anyone:
- Ask a neighbour. If other flats have also lost heat or hot water, the fault is almost certainly in the shared system, so report it to your heat supplier or building management.
- Look at your consumer unit. Heating controls and many HIUs need an electricity supply. If a circuit has tripped and will not reset, or a switched spur has failed, that is an electrical fault inside your flat.
- Leave the HIU closed. It is normally maintained by the heat supplier or managing agent; your heat supply agreement or lease should say which. Heating equipment, including the HIU, is not among the services Voltify Contractors lists.
- Escalate if it is not resolved. Complain to the heat supplier first. They have eight weeks to resolve it, or can issue a deadlock letter sooner, after which you can take it to the Energy Ombudsman.
If hot water is leaking from the HIU or its pipework, use your heat supplier’s or building’s emergency contact. If the leak is from your own taps, toilet or appliance connections, turn off the water at your flat’s stopcock and treat it as a plumbing job.
Jobs inside the flat you can book directly
Most maintenance in a heat-network flat has nothing to do with the heat supply. A dripping hot tap, a running toilet, a leak under the kitchen sink or a washing machine connection all sit within the flat’s own pipework and are covered by our plumbing services. Sockets that have stopped working, lighting, bathroom extractor fans and a circuit that keeps tripping are electrical work.
New flats often come with integrated appliances, and replacing a built-in dishwasher, oven or hob is a job for appliance installation. If a leak from the flat above has stained your ceiling, the painting and decorating team can make good once the source has been fixed and the plaster has dried. TV mounting, shelves, curtain poles and sticking doors come under handyman and property maintenance.
One exception: anything that needs the building’s water or heating isolated, or that touches pipes in a communal riser, should be agreed with building management before the visit.
Arranging a visit in North Greenwich
When you get in touch, say whether the building is on a heat network, what the fault is, and whether any access arrangements apply, such as a concierge desk or a booked parking space. Standard working hours are 7am–5pm, Monday to Friday, and the documented standard minimum call-out is £80 for the first hour, with the final price depending on the work. For an urgent leak or electrical fault outside those hours, out-of-hours emergency call-outs are available at different pricing. Call 020 3411 1855 or email info@voltifycontractors.co.uk.
North Greenwich sits within the same SE10 coverage as Greenwich, where older homes raise different questions, and Greenwich Peninsula, where the focus is arranging work when the owner is not on site. See all areas we cover or browse our services.
