A man who says his landlord started demolishing his flat inside a renowned London pub while he was asleep is suing for up to £100,000 in damages.
Nicola Saia, who lived at the now-demolished Cricketers pub near The Oval in Kennington, claims Ravinder Laly repeatedly warned that the roof would be destroyed before allegedly carrying out the threat.
Mr Saia says he suffered “harm and damage” as a result of the incident. He told the court that loud banging woke him on the morning of July 18, 2023. When he entered the living room, he allegedly found rubble falling through a hole in the ceiling, with Mr Laly and builders at the property.
The front gate of The Cricketers was boarded up soon afterwards. The former music pub, which once hosted acts including The Pogues and Happy Mondays before being converted into flats, was effectively sealed with Mr Saia still inside.
Although the flat had become unfit to live in, Mr Saia says he had to remain there until the council accepted that he was homeless and arranged temporary accommodation for him.
Mr Saia is now bringing a claim against Mr Laly and his property company, RSL Slough Ltd, alleging harassment and unlawful eviction. He is seeking up to £100,000 for the “shock, stress, anxiety and inconvenience” he says the ordeal caused.
Mr Laly denies harassing Mr Saia or unlawfully evicting him. He also disputes that Mr Saia was legally a tenant of either him or the company at the time.
Nicola Saia, a former resident of the demolished Cricketers pub, is suing his former landlord and the property company over alleged harassment and unlawful eviction
The former Cricketers pub is at the centre of the dispute between Mr Saia and Ravinder Laly
Central London County Court heard that Mr Saia’s flat was part of the former music venue, which had welcomed The Pogues, Happy Mondays, early reggae pioneer Desmond Dekker and folk-rock group Fairport Convention.
The site had deteriorated in its later years and was marked for demolition by 2023. The building was eventually completely demolished in 2024.
Mr Saia’s barrister, Kevin Brown, told Judge Karen Evans-Gordon that Mr Laly had sent his client a message two weeks before the work began, saying the roof would be removed and demolition would start.
He said: “On 18 July 2023, Mr Saia was woken at about 9am by loud banging coming from the roof.
“He went into his living room and found debris falling through the ceiling. Mr Laly was there with builders, and a hole had been created through the roof and ceiling of the living room, bathroom and one of the bedrooms.
“Mr Laly left the premises and locked the gate while the claimant was still inside.”
The court heard that the entrance to The Cricketers was then boarded up, blocking access to and from the site. A large padlock was also added to the gates outside the property, allegedly leaving “Mr Saia trapped inside”.
Describing the events, Mr Brown said: “Mr Laly sent repeated messages stating that the property would be demolished while Mr Saia remained in occupation from 23 May 2023.
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Mr Saia’s lawyer said his client had been “traumatised” by the experience
“The defendants cut off the water supply for a period in June 2023, and there was no water at the property at all from July 25 to 29, 2023.
“They barricaded and locked the entrance while Mr Saia was still living there. He was trapped inside the property on July 18 and July 25, 2023.”
‘The defendants ultimately demolished the roof of the property on 18 July 2023, while the Claimant was still in occupation.’
Mr Brown alleged this method of ‘harassment and eviction’ was particularly shocking to his client, as well as impacted him physically.
He added: ‘These steps made the property uninhabitable and were designed to force the claimant to leave without a court order, which he did on 29 July 2023.
‘Mr Saia has suffered harm and damage to his mental health, and remains traumatised by the experience.’
In court documents, Mr Brown argued Mr Saia had the right to respect for ‘quiet enjoyment’ of his flat and his landlord accepted that he did not have to pay rent as he would act as ‘property guardian’ instead.
The drive to cut off his WiFi and water and then to proceed to rip off the roof over his head was done without proper notice having been served seeking possession – or a court order obtained, he submitted.
Mr Brown said: ‘The fact that there was permission for demolition cannot amount to permission to demolish the building while it is still under occupation.’
But Ben Leb, acting for Mr Laly and the property company, denied Mr Saia was actually a tenant of the property, since he was not charged rent.
Mr Leb said he had no right to protection from eviction and nothing done by Mr Laly amounted to harassment, adding that his clients are also counter-suing for Mr Saia trespassing on the property.
Speaking in court, he said: ‘It is clear that neither the defendants nor Mr Saia intended their relationship to bear the hallmarks of a tenancy or lease.
‘Mr Saia had no exclusive possession of either the property or the flat. He did not pay any rent.’
Mr Leb added: ‘Mr Laly, acting on behalf of RSL Slough Ltd, has given notice to Mr Saia to vacate the property and Flat 4 because in accordance with the defendants’ stated plans the property was due to be demolished.
‘The notices were given on 21 February 2023 and 9 June 2023.’
He said his clients had a ‘licence’ to enter the property. The case continues.
