If a landlord wishes to oppose the renewal of a business tenancy on the basis of one of the “no fault” grounds under section 30 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, it may be sensible to do so in advance of 1 April 2017. This is because if the landlord is successful in his opposition, he will be required to pay statutory compensation in return for the tenants vacation of the premises. That compensation is linked to the rateable value of the property.
If the landlord waits until after 1 April 2017 to serve the opposing notice, they could find themselves with a higher bill for statutory compensation as a result of the business rates revaluation that come into force on 1 April 2017.
In addition, on the other side of the coin, it may be sensible for some tenants who wish to serve a request for a new tenancy to wait until after 1 April 2017 as the statutory compensation payable if the renewal is refused, may be higher.