A man who claims his landlord began knocking down his flat inside a famous London pub while he slept is suing for up to £100,000 in damages.

Nicola Saia, a former resident of the now-levelled Cricketers near The Oval in Kennington, claimed Ravinder Laly repeatedly threatened to destroy the roof before making good on his promise.

Mr Saia, who says he has suffered ‘harm and damage’ from the ordeal, said he was awoken to loud banging on the morning of July 18, 2023. He went into the living room to find debris falling from a hole in the ceiling, with Mr Laly standing there alongside builders.

Shortly after, the front gate of The Cricketers – a former music pub that hosted the likes of The Pogues and Happy Mondays before being converted into flats – was also boarded up, leaving him effectively trapped inside.

Despite the flat becoming unfit for habitation, Mr Saia was forced to stay put until the council accepted he was homeless and offered to temporarily provide him with accommodation. 

Now, Mr Saia is suing Mr Laly and his property company, RSL Slough Ltd, for harassment and unlawful eviction, demanding up to £100,000 compensation for the 'shock, stress, anxiety and inconvenience' caused by his experience. 

But Mr Laly denies any acts of harassment or unlawful eviction, disputing Mr Saia was legally a tenant of him or the company at the time.

Central London County Court heard Mr Saia's flat was located in part of the iconic former music venue. However, the site had fallen into decline in its latter years and by 2023 was earmarked for demolition, ultimately being completely levelled in 2024.

Mr Saia's barrister, Kevin Brown, told Judge Karen Evans-Gordon that two weeks before the work began, Mr Laly had sent him a message 'stating that the roof would be coming off and that demolition would start'.

He said: 'On 18 July 2023, Mr Saia was woken at about 9am by loud banging from the roof.

'He went into his living room and found debris falling from the ceiling. Mr Laly was in attendance with builders and a hole had been made through the roof/ceiling of the living room, bathroom and one of the bedrooms.

'Mr Laly left the premises and locked the gate with the claimant inside.'

The court heard soon after, the front gate of The Cricketers was then boarded up, which prevented access and exit to the site. The addition of a large padlock to the gates outside the property also effectively left 'trapped Mr Saia inside'.

Detailing the ordeal, Mr Brown said: 'Mr Laly sent repeated messages that the property would be demolished with him in occupation from 23 May 2023.

'The defendants cut off the water supply for a period in June 2023, and there was no water to the property at all from 25-29 July 2023.

'They barricaded and locked the entrance to the premises while Mr Saia was in occupation, he was trapped in the property on 18 and 25 July 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 affected 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.