Tenants at a Stratford housing block were bemused to find they would have to pay more than �6,000 – to clean up water stains and fix a shed door.

The eye-watering service charges were presented to the residents in Major Road after water leaked from the blocked guttering at the top of the three-storey building.

They were revealed in an annual breakdown made available by Newham Homes. The block is now managed by Newham Council.

Work, carried out in November 2010, to “adjust and repair” the shed door cost �614, while the cost of removing the unsightly hard water stains at the rear of the building totalled �5,466.

Concerns

Retired Feyza Ari, 65, who has lived in the block for more than 20 years, said the gutter was only cleared following complaints. She said: “It is an absolute waste of money, this is obviously hurting us. At the end of the day they should have been trying to get value for money.

She added: “What it looks like they have done is let the water run for about a year before deciding to fix it.”

She is considering taking the council to a leasehold valuation tribunal to query the estimate.

The bill, presented at the end of the 2010/11 financial year, is paid for by tenants on an annual basis.

Other repairs charged included �75 to repair two lights and �632 to refix a loose fuse board to the wall.

A council spokesman said each leaseholder had to contribute �140 towards the cost. He said: “The repair took a week to complete and involved hiring a jet wash to remove the stains from the walls.

“The work was carried out in November 2010 and was completed by their repairs and maintenance service (RMS) who have since transferred into the council.

“RMS carry out the majority of minor repairs to the council’s properties and offer a value for money, efficient and reliable service.

“If leaseholders are not happy with anything on their service charge bill, they should contact their leasehold customer services officer who will investigate their query.”