Centre Point House flats; right, Hans Patel.

LEASEHOLDERS have been landed with a bill running into hundreds of thousands of pounds for repairs and improvements to their historic brutalist building complex.

Flat owners have recently been asked to contribute approximately £240,000 each towards building works at Centre Point House, a block of 36 flats attached to ­Centre Point Tower in Bloomsbury.

Owned by property developer Almacantar, leaseholders are being asked to cover costs for works including the replacement of the ­building’s facade.

Leaseholder Hans Patel said the bill has been greeted with “anxiety and concern” by residents who fear they could lose their homes. “We’re nervous about it and very anxious. We don’t have the money,” he said.

Flat owners are concerned “most of the works are an improve­ment that increases the value of the freehold, as opposed to repairs”, Mr Patel said, adding that leaseholders have not yet seen a detailed breakdown of the costs.

In the face of resistance from leaseholders, Almacantar has taken the case to a tribunal that will “determine the scope of the repair works required and the appropriate contributions from residents”, the company said.

Mr Patel, who has owned a flat in the complex for 20 years, is one of the leaseholders disputing the costs at the tribunal. “We’re hoping the tribunal sees sense,” he said. “Repairs are something [lease­holders] bear the cost of, but improvements are not.

“I’m not saying repair work isn’t necessary. It’s just I feel the majority of the works are improvements to deal with neglect of the building,” he said, adding residents feel the company has failed to perform “regular maintenance” since taking over the freehold in 2011.

Owners hope to bring the property company back to the negotiating table. “We’d like to see the tribunal vote for a large proportion of the proposed cladding costs to be borne by the free­holders, because it’s an improvement. Whatever the final amount we have to pay is, hopefully it’s substantially less than what it currently is,” he said.

A spokesperson for Almacantar said the ongoing legal proceedings meant it was “not appropriate to comment” on residents’ specific concerns, adding: “Centre Point House is in need of repair and we have consulted extensively with the residents for a number of years in relation to the much-needed works.

“We are acting responsibly and fairly and following the correct legal process to ensure that we discharge our legal obligations appropriately and cost effectively. “

This is why the matter has, in all parties’ interests, been referred to the First Tier Tribunal which can properly determine the scope of the repair works required and the appropriate contribu­tions to be made by leaseholders (which includes Almacantar on a number of apartments acquired with the wider project in 2011) under the terms of their leases.”