BlockHeat
—days to register with Ofgem

Blocks with communal heating now need registering with Ofgem.

The deadline is 26 January 2027, and many of the blocks affected are managed by agents who haven't been told. Check one of your buildings in two minutes.

Check a building Get it handled
Ofgem wants data going back to April 2026.

Once a building is registered, its first data return is backdated to April 2026: charges, complaints, residents in debt and vulnerable residents. If nobody has been recording that, the gap starts now.

What changed

Since 27 January 2026, Ofgem has regulated heat networks: any building divided into separate homes where heating or hot water comes from a shared source. A communal boiler in a block of flats is enough, whether the flats are leasehold, privately rented or social housing.

Recovering heating costs through the service charge can make the freeholder or RMC a regulated supplier, with duties similar to an energy company. Suppliers must also join the Energy Ombudsman's heat network scheme.

Existing networks were authorised automatically, but they must still be registered by the deadline. Operating without authorisation is a criminal offence, and separately, Ofgem can fine up to £1m or 10% of turnover for breaking its rules.

Is your building caught?

Answer what you can. "Not sure" is a useful answer too.

What we do

Registration

Before 26 January 2027

We work out who the operator and supplier are, chase the details from the freeholder, contractors and billing company, and complete the registration with Ofgem. Fixed fee per building, agreed up front.

Staying compliant

Every quarter after

We file the quarterly and annual data returns, separate heat costs from the service charge, keep the complaints log and vulnerable residents list current, and tell Ofgem when something changes.

How it works

  1. Send us your building listNames and addresses are enough to start.
  2. We tell you which are caughtNo charge for this part.
  3. We register them and keep them compliantYou get a file per building, ready if Ofgem or a resident asks.

Questions agents ask

Does my block's communal boiler need registering?

If heating or hot water comes from a shared source and the building is divided into separate flats, very likely yes, whoever owns the flats. The exceptions include small conversions (below), a single HMO, buildings not split into separate homes such as care homes, and systems that only provide air conditioning.

Is it the managing agent or the freeholder?

Ofgem treats whoever controls the plant and big spending decisions, like replacing the boiler, as the operator. Whoever holds the billing and customer side is the supplier. In most leasehold blocks that points to the freeholder or RMC, with the agent acting for them. Where it's disputed, that's a question for a solicitor.

Are small converted buildings exempt?

A building converted into several flats with one energy source of 45kW thermal capacity or less is out of scope. Purpose-built blocks don't get this exemption.

Can't we just register it ourselves?

You can. The form is questions, not uploads. The time goes on finding the answers: plant details from the boiler contractor, metering and billing from the billing company, and getting the freeholder or RMC director to set up the account and sign the fit-and-proper declaration.

What happens after registration?

Quarterly and annual data returns to Ofgem, due by the end of the month after each quarter, with the annual return by 30 April. You also have to report material changes, such as selling the building or switching to a heat pump.

What if we miss the deadline?

Operating without authorisation is a criminal offence, and directors can be personally liable. Ofgem says it takes a pragmatic approach and values early engagement and self-reporting, so starting late is far better than not starting.

Guides

Get your buildings handled

Tell us how many blocks you manage with communal heating and we'll come back the same day.