Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
UPDATED: The Government appears unlikely to extend tenant protection from commercial landlords who want to evict them for non-payment of rent because of Covid-19.
The business department had given shops, pubs and restaurants three months of protection from eviction for non-payment of rent during the coronavirus lockdown.
But a draft code of practice seen by the Financial Times on how landlords should treat commercial tenants as small businesses emerge from lockdown makes no mention of extending the eviction grace period.
>See also: 4 ways small shops can reinvent themselves post coronavirus
Many businesses had assumed the current eviction suspension would be extended past June 24, the next rent quarter day.
If so, many businesses could find themselves forced out of commercial premises for non-payment of rent due to Covid-19.
Instead, the code, which is voluntary, states:
Tenants should pay rent if they can, even if only partially
Landlords who are in a position to show clemency should do so
Tenants should prioritise paying service charges before rents
James Daunt, chief executive of bookshop chain Waterstones, told the FT that what is needed is statutory protection for tenants from aggressive landlords.
Daunt said: “As soon as current protections expire, I think there will be some