The Government has confirmed that it will be renewing the measures it introduced to protect tenants in the commercial property sector unable to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, commercial tenants benefit from a prohibition on landlords forfeiting commercial leases for non-payment of rent. This measure was due to end on 31
United Kingdom
UK Government extends ban on commercial landlords from making statutory demands until end of 2020
The Government has confirmed that it will be extending the temporary ban on commercial landlords issuing statutory demands and winding up petitions against commercial tenants who have not paid their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. A statutory demand can be issued where a corporate debtor owes £750 to a creditor. If the debt is not…
The Summer of Planning Reform in 2020: New Planning Rules to Spur Development
Overview
The Government is introducing sweeping changes to the planning system in England, with a view to cutting down on bureaucracy and letting the market decide what we use our buildings for, as well as facilitating much needed housing development. The changes are both medium term and immediate. In this Alert, we focus on the
…
UK Government extends suspension of commercial property evictions until end of 2020
The Government has confirmed that it will be renewing the measures it introduced protecting tenants in the commercial property sector unable to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, commercial tenants benefit from a prohibition on landlords forfeiting commercial leases for non-payment of rent and restrictions on landlords using commercial rent arrears recovery
…
“Most radical reform to our planning system since the Second World War” stalled in the High Court
Much has been written about the sweeping changes the Government is introducing to extend permitted development rights and limit the need to obtain planning permission for changes of use.
But on 2 September 2020 Mr Justice Holgate ordered that an application for leave for judicial review challenging these new laws would be heard on 8…
UK Government publishes Building Safety Bill in response to Grenfell Tragedy
The UK Government today published its Building Safety Bill, three years after the Grenfell tragedy in which 72 people lost their lives in a fire in a tower block in Kensington, London, the worst residential fire in the UK since World War II.
The Bill seeks to implement the recommendations of the Hackitt Report of…
Executing Real Estate Deeds During Lockdown – Where Are We Now?
Why do real estate lawyers ask for deeds to be signed in “wet ink”?
The facility agreement is finally agreed. The execution versions of the ancillary documents have been deftly zipped and are ready for email circulation to the wider team. A real estate lawyer interjects that the charge needs to be executed in “wet…
UK Government extends suspension of commercial property evictions and introduces new code of practice for June 2020
The UK government has confirmed today that it will be renewing the package of measures it introduced for tenants in the commercial property sector unable to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including extending the moratorium on forfeiture and the restrictions on issuing statutory demands and winding up petitions from 30 June until…
Will COVID-19 Redefine UK Office Space? Commercial Office Use and Tenant Requirements Post-Lockdown
The spread of COVID-19 has forced the mass closure of workspace and the implementation of work-from-home policies in the majority of industries.
As the UK contemplates easing lockdown measures, businesses are having to consider what the world of work will look like in the “new normal”. But what does that “new normal” look like and…
Acquiring a property from an LPA receiver – what are the risks?
As we approach the June quarter day, it is not only landlords who will be keeping a close eye on rent collection. For lenders rent collection is also very important.
So far we have largely seen that lenders have been supportive of landlords in relation to unpaid rent for the March quarter day – in…