A former Goldman Sachs banker is facing a £200,000 court bill after being sued over a disastrous refurbishment of her £1.6 million London flat, which saw her neighbours' ceiling collapse due to a leaky shower. Leda Sara, 50, now an interior designer and estate agent for the ultra-wealthy, was taken to court by Samuel Wagner and his wife Jennifer over the mammoth five-year stop-start project in Lennox Gardens, Knightsbridge.
The dispute
Swedish property firm boss Mr Wagner and his wife complained they were left with thousands of pounds worth of damage to their Grade II listed flat. The renovation caused ceilings to crack due to incessant banging from the flat above. As Ms Sara's home was stripped back to a shell, they also suffered 'extraordinary' amounts of dust, 'excessive' heat loss and vermin, the court was told. Leaks from a sprinkler and a defective shower tray after the building work was eventually completed also led to significant damage, with one of the ceilings in their £1.4 million flat collapsing, they claimed.
Court ruling
After a trial at Mayor's and City County Court, Judge Stephen Hellman ruled in the couple's favour, awarding them more than £40,000 in damages and ordering Ms Sara to pay most of their legal bills. He ordered her to pay £91,000 upfront towards an estimated total of £150,000, on top of her own legal fees. Although the judge said she was not liable for any leaks, he stated Ms Sara was responsible for the work taking so long to complete, causing her neighbours 'annoyance, inconvenience, discomfort and anxiety' over such a long period.
Background
The dispute arose in a Grade-II listed building in Lennox Gardens, where properties are valued at up to £40 million. It began after Ms Sara bought her flat for £1.6 million in 2014 and promptly started a makeover project, stripping out furniture, kitchen, bathroom, partition walls, and a lowered ceiling. Mr Wagner complained of 'extraordinary' amounts of 'relentless' dust entering through windows and cracks, making it impossible to hang laundry. The work was initially in breach of a restriction on Ms Sara's property and was paused while she negotiated a licence with the freeholder. Work resumed in March 2018 but overran, not being signed off until April 2019.
Impact on neighbours
The Wagners were forced to move out three times: first during the works, and twice again in 2019 and 2020 when leaks from a shower and sprinkler system occurred after the main job was signed off. Mr Wagner told the judge that one move happened when, after seeing damp patches from the leaky shower, their ceiling collapsed. They also claimed that delays in certifying the leaks were fixed caused a sale of their flat to fall through, costing them another £60,000.
Defence and judgment
Ms Sara defended the case, with her barrister arguing she should not be held liable for the work of third-party contractors. In her evidence, she admitted her flat was left a shell but insisted it was watertight. Judge Hellman exonerated her of blame for the leaks, saying she passed on complaints to her builder and took reasonable steps to prevent water damage. However, he found her liable for delays and overrunning, stating the works were not completed within a reasonable period and became a nuisance. He awarded the couple £41,332 in damages and ordered Ms Sara to pay 80 per cent of their legal costs, with £91,000 upfront towards a total of about £150,000, plus her own legal fees.
