Sofia residents prepare class-action lawsuit against Toplofikacia Sofia

Residents of the Mladost 1 district in Sofia have been without hot water since October 2 due to continuous failures in the aging heating network. The prolonged outage has affected families with young children, elderly residents, schools, and kindergartens.

Lawyer Inna Boyadzhieva stated that the repairs are insufficient, noting that crews often use clamps to fix burst pipes rather than addressing the underlying cause. Consequently, residents are preparing a class-action lawsuit against Toplofikacia Sofia. Complaints have already been filed with the Ombudsman, the Commission for Consumer Protection, and the Commission for Protection of Competition.

Toplofikacia Sofia, which is owned by the Sofia Municipality, attributed the delays to the need for significant construction and excavation work. The company noted that the heating network in the area is over 35 years old, making frequent breakdowns likely and causing new leaks when one section is repaired. Meanwhile, the company has announced a phased restart of central heating across Sofia, beginning with schools and kindergartens, due to expected temperature drops.