As if a car knocking over your letterbox wasn't bad enough, Narrabundah resident Richard Allen got a shock when he received a $562 bill from the ACT government for it to be replaced.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The former hardware salesman thought the charge for two new metal letterboxes seemed extreme, and later found the same replacement products on sale in Canberra for less than $50.
Mr Allen has filed a police report and statutory declaration explaining he was not responsible for the original damage so will not be charged for the replacement work by the ACT Community Services Directorate.
He said he was concerned the ACT taxpayer and other public housing tenants were being overcharged by maintenance contractor Spotless.
"I wasn't happy with the bill, I can assure you. I just could see the value of the letterboxes for starters, considering the previous letterbox that was there was concrete," he said.
"Because I worked at a hardware store before I got diagnosed with my illness, I couldn't see how they could come up with that estimate of $500 for those letterboxes."
Mr Allen said the letterboxes for his house and his neighbour were different colours and required very little concrete for installation.
"If you go over the road, you see those lovely sandstone letterboxes which you can buy for $295. Someone is taking the government for a ride," he said.
"I think the public really needs to know where their money is going."
A Community Services Directorate spokesman said t
"Housing ACT has a set schedule of rates for all repair work which is market-tested, reviewed by a quantity surveyor and reviewed annually against industry standards to ensure value for money," the spokesman said.
He said Mr Allen won't be charged for the replacement if he follows guidelines for damage to public housing assets.
"All tenants are made aware of this process through fact sheets when they sign their tenancy agreement, through the tenants' guide to repairs and maintenance – which are both also available on the Housing and Community Services website – as well as having the process explained to them when reporting property damage."
For his part, Mr Allen has a simple solution in mind.
"I think Scotty Cam from The Block could do a better job of it," he said. "You can put that in the story if you like."
