Further protection for commercial tenants

As of 24th April 2020, the government has introduced more measures to try and help commercial tenants who are struggling to meet their bills and rent due to the effect of coronavirus. 

There will be a temporary ban on the use of statutory demands made between 1 March and 30 June 2020 and on winding up petitions presented from 27 April to 30 June 2020 where a court decides that the company subject to the winding up petition can't pay its bills due to coronavirus. In both cases the deadline can be extended beyond 30 June 2020. 

In addition there will be legislation coming into force to prevent landlords using the commercial rent arrears recovery (CRAR) procedure unless they are owed 90 days of unpaid rent. 

The aim of these changes is to try and protect businesses and the high street, and ensure that when the restrictions are lifted and businesses can re-open they are able to do so. 

The press release detailing this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-to-protect-uk-high-street-from-aggressive-rent-collection-and-closure

For more information please contact Sam Taylor. 

 

The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article.