A former banker from Goldman Sachs has been sued amid claims her central London flat leaking made her neighbour’s ceiling collapse.
Samuel Wagner and his wife Jennifer have brought the claim against Leda Sara at Mayor’s and City County Court, accusing her of “nuisance and negligence relating to leaks” from the flat above their £1.4million Knightsbridge residence.
The couple maintain that the damage forced them from their home and left them with substantial repair bills.
Ms Sara, who left banking to work as an interior designer and estate agent, acquired her apartment in the Grade II-listed Lennox Gardens building for £1.6million in 2014 before undertaking renovation work and subsequently letting the property.
According to the court, Ms Sara stripped out the furniture, kitchen, bathroom and partition walls, along with a lowered ceiling, shortly after purchasing the apartment.
Joseph Meethan, representing the Wagners, told Judge Stephen Hellman: “It is the claimants’ case that these initial works caused problems with excessive heat loss and vermin, as well as dust and rubbish deposits.”
The Swedish property firm boss and his wife contend that these renovation problems, combined with persistent water leaks, compelled them to seek temporary rented accommodation on three separate occasions.
They eventually returned to their flat in 2020, but the couple argue that ongoing issues stemming from Ms Sara’s property continued to plague them.
The row broke out over the London property in Lennox Gardens
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The Wagners allege that in 2019, a malfunctioning shower in Ms Sara’s flat caused their ceiling to give way, displacing them from their home for a week.
A subsequent incident involving a defective sprinkler system from the upstairs property resulted in what the couple described as a “flood”, forcing them to vacate their residence twice more over the following year.
Their troubles did not end there.
Two years after moving back, the Wagners attempted to sell their property, but the transaction collapsed.
The case continues at the Mayor’s and City County Court
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Mr Meethan argued that Ms Sara’s failure to provide timely evidence that the leak problems had been resolved caused the sale to fall through.
This delay proved costly, as the couple now claim more than £60,000 in additional second-home stamp duty because they could not complete the sale within the required three-year window.
Ms Sara, now 50, denies any liability to her neighbours and has placed responsibility for any defects on the contractors who performed the renovation work.
She is also challenging the sums being claimed by the Wagners.
Faisel Sadiq, representing Ms Sara, told the judge that property owners do not serve as insurers for all work undertaken by independent contractors on their premises.
“Generally speaking, a landowner will not be liable for nuisance created by third parties,” he said.
The barrister argued that insufficient evidence exists to prove the property sale collapsed due to information Ms Sara failed to provide.
He added that his client is pursuing a separate claim against a contractor, seeking indemnification for any losses she may ultimately face.
The hearing continues.
