A London County Court has awarded £2,000 to Nicola Saia after a landlord started tearing down a Kennington music venue while Saia slept inside. The ruling found that Ravinder Laly and his company, RSL Slough Ltd, engaged in harassment during the demolition.
Debris falling through the ceiling of The Cricketers
On July 18, 2023, at approximately 9:00 am, Nicola Saia was awoken by intense banging coming from the roof of The Cricketers music venue in Kennington. according to the report, Saia discovered debris falling through holes in the ceiling of his living room, bathroom, and one of the bedrooms. The landlord, Ravinder Laly, was reportedly present at the scene with builders as the demolition of the roof commenced. The venue, which had been a legendary part of the local music scene, was eventually fully demolished in 2024.
Why Recorder Tom Shepherd bypassed the Protection from Eviction Act
While the court found that harassment had occurred, the legal basis for the damages was not a breach of the Protection from Eviction Act. As the source details, Recorder Tom Shepherd dettermined that Saia was not a legal tenant of the property at the time of the incident, but was instead a trespasser.. Because Saia lacked a formal tenancy, the specific protections afforded to renters did not apply to his situation. However, the judge ruled that the landlord's decision to proceed with demolition while Saia was inside was "calculated and oppressive." The judge noted that Laly could have used fences or barricades to prevent re-entry, or sought a possession order to use bailiffs instead of such extreme measures.
A £1 nominal award for RSL Slough Ltd's trespass claim
The legal battle included a counterclaim from Ravinder Laly and his firm, RSL Slough Ltd, who sought damages for Saia's alleged trespass. Although the judge acknowledged that Saia was technically trespassing, he rejected the landlord's claims for property damage. Instead, the court awarded a nominal compensation of just £1 to the defendants. Ben Leb, representing Laly and the firm, argued they had a license to enter the property,but the judge concluded that the simple fact of being a squatter did not justify the landlord's decision to take such extreme steps.
Unverified claims regarding WiFi and boarded-up exits
Despite the successful harassment claim, several of Saia's allegations were not upheld by the court. The judge dismissed claims that Mr. Laly had harassed Saia by cutting off the property's WiFi or by trapping him inside by boarding up the building. Furthermore, while Saia's lawyer, Kevin Brown, argued that the incident caused significant trauma and mental health damage, the court's final award of £2,000 focused specifically on the harassment aspect rather than the full £60,000 in compensation originally sought.
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