When Angela first applied for social housing in Manchester, she did so with the hope of finally being able to afford a place to call her own.
Having spent most of her life as a lodger, as she reached her fifties, the idea of continuing to share a flat with strangers filled her with dread. And, despite working full-time, the prospect of private renting on her own was out of reach.
Just before the start of the pandemic, Angela, who has asked not to be identified, was accepted for a one-bedroom flat in the centre of Fallowfield. It wasn't much, but a place she could finally call home.
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When she first moved in, she was paying around £600 a month to rent the apartment from Onward Homes - who own a number of social housing properties in the area.
But in April this year, she was told by the housing association that her rent, including service charge, would jump to £866 a month - nearly £300 more - to cover the rising cost of energy.
Angela's flat is covered by a 'heat network,' meaning she shares a communal boiler with the rest of the apartment block. It means all the tenants on the network are forced to pay the same price, despite how much energy they actually use.
And, to make her living situation worse, she claims the area has become plagued with antisocial behaviour, due to street drinking, drug consumption, and public urination.
The M.E.N previously reported that some residents who live in the south Manchester suburb say they don't even feel safe walking the streets in daylight because of 'intimidating' people drinking in the streets, after two local hotels began to be used as temporary accommodation for the homeless.
"I pay over £800 a month to live here which doesn't include electricity, council tax, and all the other bills I have to pay," Angela said.
"I'm on a salary of just over £23,000 so by the time I've paid my basic housing costs, which are over £1,000, I don't have much left. It's not what I envisaged when I first moved here.
"I recognise it's cheaper than in the private sector and it's more secure so I have to hold on to these those things but it's expensive and the neighbourhood is regularly impacted by anti-social behaviour."
Speaking at a town hall hearing earlier this month, members of Fallowfield Community Guardians said street drinkers often gather by nearby bus shelters, making it 'really intimidating' to catch a bus.
One woman told councillors her kids now tell her 'don't walk down that road, mum, because there's always someone off their head.'
Angela has re-listed on Manchester Move, a social housing register operated by Manchester City Council, but fears the long waiting list will make it practically impossible to be rehoused.
Because she's on a heat network, she can't conserve the amount of energy she uses or shop around for cheaper providers, meaning she is forced to pay what the housing association demand.
"I just wanted to have a place of my own because I had always been renting a bedroom," she said. "When you're a lodger you end up moving a lot and I just wanted somewhere to settle.
"When I first moved it was reasonably affordable but now it doesn't feel like I can keep up with the payments they are demanding."
Another resident living in an apartment in Rochdale, also run by Onward Homes, previously told the M.E.N he would have to pay over £50 more a week to cover the new service charge.
Onward said the service charge at their properties in both Fallowfield and Rochdale had to be increased due to higher energy costs, and that they are not making a profit from this.
Manchester-based law firm, Leigh Day, launched a legal claim at the beginning of the year to protect people on heat networks, who are not protected by the energy price cap set by Ofgem to stem a spike in household fuel bills.
It comes as some customers in the country were hit by price rises as high as 700 per cent. Leigh Day is currently undertaking research to establish how widespread the issue is.
They are also investigating the quality and efficiency of heat networks, in case excessive heat losses and other problems mean customers end up paying much more than they should for the service they receive.
Leigh Day solicitor Leonardo Gonzalez said: "It is concerning to read reports of enormous price increases hitting heat network consumers, often already overstretched by the cost-of-living crisis.
"I believe there are legal avenues that could be explored to offer some means of redress to these consumers who feel unprotected and powerless in this unregulated sector."
In 2018, the Competition Markets Authority recommended that heat networks be regulated so that the protection available to consumers with domestic gas boilers is extended to heat network users. But this still hasn't happened.
Labour Cllr for Old Moat, and Executive Member for Housing and Development, Gavin White said the council is working with local housing associations to improve energy efficiency in the city.
"We know that the cost of living crisis has placed a lot of pressure on our residents and their energy bills, which in addition to increases in social rents, means more of our residents are facing hardship and difficulties," he said.
"Like the City Council, we believe that Onward have put in place a hardship fund for their tenants to access help and financial support from, and we know that tenants can access this to mitigate the impact of rises in their rent and energy bills.
"We have really encouraged housing associations, such as Onward, to reach out to their tenants in this time and offer as much support, help and advice as is possible.
"We are also working with local housing associations, such as Onward, to improve the energy efficiency and the amount of insulation in our social housing in the city, so that energy bills can be lowered for residents in the future.
"Sadly, the Tories have lost control of and crashed the UK economy, which is driving up inflation, increasing energy bills and seeing rents rise beyond what many can pay locally here in Manchester."
Addressing the issue of antisocial behaviour in Fallowfield, a council spokesperson previously said: "Where we receive complaints about street drinking we will always respond to them. Wherever possible this response includes support for anyone with alcohol-related issues who is carrying it out, to help address any underlying issues."
A spokesperson for Onward said: "Every year we undertake a review of our rents and service charges, so that we can continue to invest in our homes and services. Along with most housing associations, this year we have increased rents by 7%, which is in line with the Government rent cap and below inflation.
"Residents at this tenant's property also pay a separate service charge covering services such as utilities, gardening, and scheme manager costs. Service charges have increased at the scheme mainly due to the significant increase in energy costs over the past year.
"Onward has subsidised these costs until now, meaning that customers have not had to pay higher bills over the winter. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to do this indefinitely, so the higher cost of energy has been reflected in service charges from April.
"Onward makes no profit from this increase in charges, rather we are covering the costs we are now paying for energy. We understand that the increase in costs many customers face is difficult. We recently met with residents to discuss the service charges and the support that is available to them.
"Our dedicated Financial Inclusion Team is on hand to provide free, confidential advice to all our customers if they have concerns about their finances. This support is tailored to the individuals’ needs whether this is advice on budgeting, identifying eligibility for benefits, managing debts, or help with essential items.
"Our promise is that no one will lose their home where they are working with us to make payments and we would encourage anyone that is worried about the increases to get in touch with us."
The Department for Energy Security has been approached for comment.
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