Sonam Kapoor and husband Anand Ahuja currently live in London with their two children and have built an ultra-luxurious life for themselves in the city’s elite Notting Hill neighbourhood — one of the most expensive areas in the UK. According to a report in the Daily Mail, three years ago, the couple purchased a run-down mansion in Notting Hill for a staggering £21 million ( ₹270 crore). The property has reportedly been undergoing massive renovations ever since.
Sonam and Anand by mansion, five flats in London
Now, reports claim that the couple has also bought five flats in a building close to the mansion for around £4 million ( ₹51.4 crore), allegedly intending to use them as “servant quarters” for their household staff. However, the move has reportedly sparked concern and outrage among residents living in the building.
Residents complain
As per the publication, residents allege that the five flats were purchased by a company linked to the couple. Locals also accused the company’s spokesperson of threatening to make the flats available for “social housing” if residents continued to raise objections. However, a representative for the couple told the website that the Kapoor family had no direct involvement in the company that purchased the flats and that the properties were acquired purely for investment purposes.
One homeowner told, “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?”
The website further claimed that Sonam and Anand have already spent £4.7 million ( ₹60.4 crore) on renovating their mansion. The couple already own a flat and studio in Notting Hill, which had previously featured in an Architectural Digest video. Apart from their London properties, they also own houses in Delhi and Mumbai.
Who is Anand Ahuja?
For the unversed, Anand belongs to the billionaire family behind Shahi Exports, clothing manufacturers. He is also the founder and CEO of Bhaane and co-founder of sneaker store VegNonVeg.
Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja met through common friends and reportedly hit it off instantly. Anand proposed to Sonam just a month after they first met. After dating for some time, the couple tied the knot in a grand Punjabi wedding on May 8, 2018. They welcomed their first child — a son named Vayu — in 2022. More recently, in March this year, the couple welcomed their second child, a baby boy named Rudralokh Kapoor Ahuja.
