RESIDENTS at a block of flats in Andover have been left feeling ‘furious’ after they say they have been ‘overcharged’ by their housing provider for ‘unnecessary’ maintenance work. 

Over the past few years, residents at Aster-run flats on Shepherds Row have seen a variety of works taking place in their building, for which they feel they have been unfairly billed.

In 2020, they were charged a total of £19,700 - £1,640 each - for painting, and the works haven’t stopped since, despite the fact many are still paying off that cost. 

Shaban Afzal has been living in the block since 2014, in a flat shared with his brother Imran who spends much of the year abroad. 

He is one of the residents who feels he is being unfairly treated by the housing association. 

Commenting on the paint works, he said: “Paint doesn’t cost that! We are absolutely furious.”

Andover Advertiser: Residents are saying Aster has already charged more than £19,000 for a painting job that was left unfinished.Residents are saying Aster has already charged more than £19,000 for a painting job that was left unfinished.

In the time since, Shaban says other work has been done, such as changes to locks, and non-slip mats being installed on the stairways, with the residents being forced to foot the bill.

Now, they have received a letter asking for £1,250 per resident to replace the front doors to the building.

SEE ALSO: Protests to take place over council's plans to slash transport funding for disabled children

Shaban continued: “We are living in a very difficult period of time, and the last thing we need is Aster saying they are going to change the doors - they don’t need changing! This is just a further insult.

“This is non-essential maintenance in our opinion. That’s a huge amount of money to come out of somebody’s pocket, we are all furious.”

Andover Advertiser: Shaban Afzal says the non-slips mats fixed by Aster are also incomplete, although the residents have been charged.Shaban Afzal says the non-slips mats fixed by Aster are also incomplete, although the residents have been charged.

The 53-year-old, who works as a scientist in Oxford, says that some of the residents have contacted companies in Andover which replace doors, to ask what they would quote for the same work, and says it is “ a fraction of what Aster is charging”.

Rafal Baranski, another resident at the building, said Aster refused to give him a breakdown of the costs of works they have done, although they continue to charge him from direct debit.

“They are saying the two new doors will cost more than £15,000. I enquired with an expert and they said it would actually cost only around £6,000," he said.

“It’s frustrating. I’m from Poland and I don’t understand the small prints that they have on the agreements. But they continue to take more money from my direct debit for works they have done in the past for which they don’t give a breakdown of.”

Fraser Hoskins is another resident who has been left frustrated with the ‘unnecessary charges’.

He said: “We use those doors every day and none of us ever have problems with them. They look fine, they operate fine, there's no need for them to be changed.

“And even if there was a need for them to be changed, the price that they've given is so much that I would expect the doors to be gold plated.”

SEE ALSO: New nightclub to open in Andover - if its premises licence is approved

A spokesperson for Aster Group said: “We regularly review and replace the front doors of our homes when it’s necessary to make sure that the homes our customers live in are secure and meet building regulations.

“We’re at the very beginning stages of consulting with leasehold customers at Shepherds Row about replacing the older wooden front doors and frames with new aluminium doors, which will provide more security for their homes.

“We understand that some customers may have concerns about paying for this work, and we’d like to reassure them that we’re still in the early stages of the consultation and no final costs have been confirmed. Naturally, we also look to ensure value for money for our customers when also seeking to obtain high-quality replacement products. We’ll continue to listen to customer feedback and keep in touch with our leasehold customers as the consultation progresses.”

A message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support.

Subscribing means you have unrestricted access to the latest news and reader rewards - all with an advertising-light website.

Don't take my word for it – subscribe here to see for yourself.

Looking to advertise an event? Then check out our free events guide.

Want to keep up with the latest news and join in the debate? You can find and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.