Help save C.R.A. (Catford Rhum Arrangé) Deptford!

Aim

Help us get our venue back and fight our predatory landlord!

Hey everyone,

As many of you already know, our new landlord forfeited our lease Wednesday a week ago at 4am, entered the property and changed the locks without any prior notice, locking us out and preventing us from operating. 

We have been working with solicitors, and their view is that this was unlawful, as we've not been in arrears with our rent payments. Unfortunately, the law only gives us two weeks before the landlord can enter the property, remove our belongings and start to repurpose the space for their own use. 

We believe that this is a deliberate strategy to get us out of the building, hoping that we would not be able to react in time or having the funds to defend ourselves. They also timed it right in the summer holiday period and a bank holiday, making it harder for us access solicitors, barristers and court. This mirrors the wider trend of gentrification and landlord abuse in Deptford, trying to push small businesses out at accelerate gentrification in this community.

We are ready to fight back. Our solicitors believe that this is a clear-cut case and issued a demand letter to the landlord last Friday to re-instate the lease and let us back into property, but the landlord has been stonewalling us and trying to create further delays, knowing full well that time is in their favour. We are now forced to pursue an emergency high court injunction, which should allow us to reopen within the next two weeks.

The costs have been heavy. We have already had to put down over £10,000 for barristers, court fees and solicitors. As much as we wish we did not have to do this, we see no other way than to ask our community for support. We have put all our savings, heart and soul into this project. We were just beginning to turn a slim profit and being able to hire staff.

Every bit helps, and for those that can afford more, we have prepared some rewards to say thank you.

C.R.A has always been a passion project for us, serving the community and being inclusive and welcoming to everyone. We keep prices affordable and have hosted local artists several times a week, musicians and DJs whom we pay, organised many events, and supported local initiatives.

We are doing everything we can to return as soon as possible, and we cannot wait to welcome you back.

We miss you.

We miss the music, the food, the conversations, and the people.

Thank you so much for your support.

Faz and Sam

Rewards

£25 and up: Rhum Punch on the house!

Come and celebrate our reopening with a Rhum Punch.

£50 and up: "Deptford is not for Sale" Tote Bag + Rhum Punch

More and more venues have been forced to close by the landlord in Deptford. Join the fight with this custom heavyweight tote designed by no one other than Faz herself, and join us for a Rhum Punch once we reopen!

£100 and up: Framed Print of "The Deptford Cat" by Glenn ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick + Tote + Rhum Punch

Local artist Glenn Fitzpatrick has graciously donated his Artwork "The Deptford Cat" to this campaign. A former trooper with the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars in the 1991 Gulf War, his work reflects on conflict, society and the environment. He later studied fine art and completed a Master’s at the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury, and is the author of the graphic novel Arts and Mines. You'll also receive the Tote and a Rhum Punch on the house.

FAQ

When do you expect to reopen?

We hope to get a high court order very soon and to reopen within the next two weeks. Please understand we cannot share more details right now.

When will rewards be available?

This has been very stressful for us and it will take us a bit of time to get the rewards ready. We also want to make sure the quality is right. This will likely be late September or early October. All rewards will need to be picked up at C.R.A in person.

Who is the landlord?

We have decided not to name the landlord publicly for the time being.

What will happen with the donations if you manage to get parts of it back?

We expect to recover a significant portion of legal costs and may be able to claim damages for the forced closure. If there is any excess, we will donate to local Deptford charities and explore using the funds to start a Deptford union to help other local businesses with legal costs in the future. Please be aware it may take many months to get anything back and that we will keep you updated and be fully transparent.

What about the withheld rent you mentioned on Instagram?

Back when we opened C.R.A, the building was still owned by our previous landlord. There were significant plumbing issues in another part of the building that led to severe flooding of our premises in December 2023 and again in January and February 2024. Despite our repeated pleas, the landlord and property management company did not address the issue until it became catastrophic. We had to close for extended periods, dispose of stock and invest heavily in deep cleaning and sanitising. The basement flat below was also severely flooded and deemed uninhabitable, requiring seven months of repairs. To this day, we have not received any compensation and had to do all repairs and cover losses ourselves, even though it is our understanding this falls under "insured risks" of the property/lease that the landlord is responsible for.

On legal advice we withheld a small amount of rent (a few thousand pounds) to press for action with the old and then later the new landlord. This was permitted because we were unable to operate from the premises for some time. Even then, according to our solicitors, the new landlord later re-affirmed the lease by accepting more than ten rent payments over a period of about sixteen months, not pursuing this matter, and even re-negotiating the payment terms just last month. This is called a "waive of forfeiture" and as it stands today, our solicitors advise that the landlord did not have the right to forfeit the lease and lock us out without notice the way they did. Ultimately, these two events are not connected, and just serve to further highlight how landlords are abusing their power and dodging their legal responsibilities. We're happy to provide a more detailed legal explanation if you are interested.

I have another question

Please message us on Instagram or send us an email at [email protected]!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made