Section 82 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 prevents landlords from forfeiting ‘relevant business tenancies’ until at least 30 June. However, tenants should think twice before withholding rent and other lease payments; landlords do not just have to adopt a submissive approach. At the end of March 2020, the government announced measures to protect commercial tenants that cannot pay their rent because of COVID-19, from eviction in the short term. Shortly after the announcement, the Coronavirus Act 2020 (the “Act”) received royal assent and became law. Section 82 of the Act also includes extensive provisions dealing with situations where forfeiture proceedings have already commenced in the High Court or county court, but this article is only concerned with situations where no such proceedings already exist. The announcement stated the measures would benefit commercial tenants who cannot afford to pay their rent. However, there … Continue reading →