The government has announced further extension to protections for commercial tenants including ban on commercial evictions (forfeitures) and restrictions on the use of Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR).  Summary of the latest updates announced by the Government below:

  • Ban on commercial evictions (forfeitures) extended to 30 June 2021 (despite the 9th Dec announcement that the last extension to 31 March would be the final extension);
  • Restrictions on the use of Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (CRAR) to be further extended;
  • Ban on residential evictions to be further extended to 31 May 2021 (in all but the most serious circumstances);
  • Call for evidence on commercial rents to help monitor the overall progress of negotiations between tenants and landlords. The call for evidence will also set out potential steps that Government could take after 30 June, ranging from a phased withdrawal of current protections to legislative options targeted at those businesses most impacted by COVID-19;
  • The proposed review of commercial landlord and tenant legislation will be launched later this year and will consider a broad range of issues including the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 Part II, different models of rent payment, and the impact of Coronavirus on the market.

Please find the full announcement here.