Residents of a block of flats in Langley are having to fork out almost £6,000 each for repairs carried out by Slough Borough Council.

Work costing £31,720 was done at a block of flats on Grampian Way, which the council owns, between September and October this year. Now leaseholders – those who own their flats – have been told they have to share half of this between them plus a fee.

Pat Corcoran, a leaseholder at number 26, says it’s ‘totally unfair’ that flat owners have to pay – believing that costs could have been avoided through regular maintenance work. But the council says the work was needed to replace broken and obsolete doors and security systems.

Mr Corcoran said: “We’re all against it but it seems like there’s nothing we can do.”

The huge bill came after Slough Borough Council installed a new front door entry system, replaced a rear door, repaired the roof and carried out a fire risk assessment at the block of six flats.

Three of the flats are rented from the council – but the other three are owned by leaseholders who have to pay towards maintenance and repair costs.

Leaseholders had been warned in August 2023 that their estimated bill was £4,643 each. But when the final bill arrived in August this year after work had been carried out the fee had risen to £5,947.46 after the council discovered damage to the roof.

But Mr Corcoran, aged 70, believes at least some of the costs could have been avoided through regular maintenance work such as treatment to the wooden doors and window frames.

He said: “When we moved in over 30 years ago the council used to treat the wooden window frames once a year. Now the security doors are never treated.

“If nothing’s looked after the doors are going to be rotten. It’s totally unfair that leaseholders are expected to pay anything towards it.”

But Slough Borough Council says the work was necessary as the rear doors were ‘at the end of their lifespan and several repairs had been done previously’. They said that meant ‘the only practical solution was to renew them’.

The council also said the front door entry system had to be replaced as it was obsolete. A spokesperson added: “Tenants and leaseholders can report issues with the block at any point through our maintenance provider.

“The block is cleaned weekly and any repair issues are also reported through the cleaners. The leaseholder is incorrect in thinking maintenance would have prevented these costs.”

The council said that paying for the cost of repair work such as that carried out were part of the lease agreement that leaseholders sign with the council. It added that leaseholders have the option to enter into a payment plan.