Sonam & Anand at Centre of Notting Hill ‘Servant Flats’ Row

Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja have been accused of buying five flats in a block to turn into “servants’ quarters” for their Notting Hill mansion.

Residents claim a company linked to the couple bought the flats and that the purchases could give undue influence over the building’s management board and future renovation approvals.

The firm also bought the block’s garage, currently used for storage but potentially housing part of their car collection.

It was reported that when residents raised concerns, they were allegedly warned privately that flats could be converted into “social housing”.

One resident told the Daily Mail: “We’re being made to feel afraid of speaking out just because they’re powerful.

“We’ve formed a sense of community here and that’s changing because some billionaires want to make our home another playground.

“That will change even more if they let people in from what they call ‘social housing’. It’s a weird threat. The whole thing stinks.

“There’s nobody even living in some of the flats now. Some are being done up. But behind the scenes they have a say on what happens here.

“How is that acceptable?”

Another resident said: “We are afraid of speaking out because we don’t want to get sued by billionaires.

“They have already made threats after some of us spoke to the press.”

They added that planning approval was granted two weeks ago, and they now expect construction to begin soon:

“There is a border wall all the way down this property.

“They now have four voting shares in our building and there’s only 23 flats.

“They have had a rotating cast of people, call them staff or servants, who have been changing in one flat all the time.”

Sonam and Anand purchased the mansion for £21 million in 2023. They are said to have already spent £4.7 million on renovations.

On the other hand, one resident defended the couple, calling it “part and parcel of life in a city like London”, adding that they have acted reasonably.

Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja own homes in Delhi and Mumbai.

They also own a flat and studio in Notting Hill that featured in an Architectural Digest video.

A representative for the couple said Sonam had no direct involvement in the company that purchased the flats. They said the properties were acquired for investment purposes.