A homeowner is outraged after a “random” service charge was added to his bill for the third year running.

Bill Jarvis, who lives in a flat in Brook Road, Borehamwood, received a letter from Affinity Sutton telling him he owed £343.44 in service charges after the housing provider decorated the inside of the hallways.

However Mr Jarvis disputes the bill, saying he is being charged for estate and block charges, rather than the block charges he has paid for 25 years.

The 62-year-old queried the charges with the housing association, which manages the block of flats, but four months later says he is still awaiting a response.

And he has now received a letter saying he may be taken to court if he does not pay within seven days.

The father-of-three said: “It is so frustrating, it is just ridiculous.

“I rang Affinity Sutton saying I disputed the charges, meaning I would not pay it and an employee said I should not have received the letter. But they have taken no steps to reverse it.

“This is the third year I have been overcharged like this, I am not pleased. It’s well within my rights to withhold certain charges I don’t agree with. £343 is lot of money to pay just like that.

“I do not want this to happen to anyone else. It is not even my fault, so to receive a threatening letter for this is unfair. It is a joke and strange because nobody seems to know where this random charge came from.”

Mr Jarvis says this is the third year running ge has been overcharged. Last year, he received a surprise bill of £52 charge on his statement, apparently for “refuse collection”.

He was also asked to pay an extra £196 for grounds maintenance, a service which should only cost £5.

He said: “I queried this in July. It’s ridiculous it’s December and nothing has been sorted. It’s just a waste of time and effort."

The Borehamwood Times is awaiting a comment from Affinity Sutton.