This feature was written by solicitor Adam Pike for us one year ago, but we repeat it as it has more relevance now than ever.
The coronavirus story changes by the day. After the initial shock of the lockdown, people are analysing the support offered to help the UK economy recover from this difficult period.
The headline measure for landlords and tenants was contained in the Coronavirus Act 2020, which came into force on 26th March 2020.
READ: CORONAVIRUS AND THE AFTERMARKET
Currently in place until 30 June, this act introduced a moratorium on forfeiture of commercial leases due to non-payment of rent in a bid to deal with the issue of commercial rent arrears. However, there is strong evidence to suggest the measures will be extended past the original June deadline.
Many commercial tenants have praised the move, saying that it offers them breathing space to take stock and come to terms with the changes that have been made.
However, the measures were not as extensive as some tenants will have hoped. Rent is still payable during this period of moratorium, and landlords can rely on other enforcement measures to recover payment.
UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES
In the rush to protect tenants, landlords have been placed in a difficult position for which they could never have prepared. For many, a large part of their rental income has vanished in the space of a month, and measures like the Coronavirus Act 2020 have limited the number of available remedies.
Commercial landlords, at time of writing, have not been granted the kind of loan repayment holiday offered to other sectors of the business world. There is a significant chance that large numbers of landlords will face insolvency in the next few months and beyond.
The questions to consider are what insolvency means for the landlord and for any tenants who thus far have managed to keep their business operating.
READ: IGA LAUNCHES COVID-19 COMPLIANCE SCHEME FOR GARAGES
EFFECTS OF INSOLVENCY
In the first instance most landlords will probably opt for a Creditor’s Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) rather than full-scale liquidation. This will take the form of an agreement between the landlord and any creditors and can be entered into as long as 75% of those creditors agree.
Any tenant of a landlord taking this course of action will not be involved in the process itself (being a debtor rather than creditor) and will only discover it has happened after the event.
The impact a landlord CVA might have on a tenant is difficult to predict, but under the supervision of an insolvency practitioner, it is likely that the attitude of the landlord towards their tenant will harden somewhat in respect to lease obligations being met in full and on time.
As such, the kind of flexibility needed for the negotiations between a landlord and tenant in the current climate are likely to be absent once a CVA has been put in place.
If a landlord enters into administration rather than opting for a CVA, the impact on a landlord and tenant is likely to be reduced. As the administration will be attempting to rescue the landlord company, the administrator will work closely with existing management, which should ensure that existing lines of communication continue to operate as before.
Administration will usually cover the whole of the landlord’s business and all properties let. There are more complex circumstances however, which can arise from a landlord holding a number of profitable properties, and some which are not. Loss-making properties could pull the otherwise profitable business into insolvency, a risk which is intensified during the current coronavirus crisis.
The solution is often pre-pack administration, which sees the profitable element of the business sold off to form a new company, and the loss-making aspects becoming part of a CVA.
A tenant of the profit-making element of the business will take the new company as their landlord, which will often involve working with the management and admin team of the original company.
The new landlord company will not be able to vary any of the obligations under the existing lease. If, however, there is new management as part of the new landlord company, they may well take a more hard-line approach to negotiating lease renewals, rent reviews, end of term dilapidations, etc. with a view of maximising income for the new company.
READ: THE GUARDIANS OF THE ARCHES
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
However the scenario unfolds, it is in the interests of both tenants and landlords to keep lines of communication open and remain transparent throughout.
Beyond the pandemic, it is to nobody’s advantage if either landlords or tenants find themselves being forced out of business rather than being able to weather this storm.
If you have any concerns relating to insolvency, or a landlord and tenant dispute, it is important to consult an experienced team of lawyers who can help you achieve the best possible outcome.
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