CORONAVIRUS LEGAL SUPPORT HUB

Landlord advice during Covid

The challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic continue to change on a daily basis. Our landlord and tenant advice aims to provide you with all the latest news and information on your legal rights and issues to support you through this challenging situation.

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How do rent holidays or rent reductions work?

The approach of the government has been to encourage flexibility on the part of landlords and motivate them to have open and transparent discussions about the payment of rent. Tenants will be remain liable for rent throughout the Coronavirus pandemic and should continue to pay if they can (rather than postpone the problem until later) but cash flow may make it necessary to agree a rent holiday or temporary rent reduction.

What are my rights as a landlord with rent holidays and rent reductions?

The Coronavirus Act protects landlords by preserving their right to forfeit the lease later for non-payment of rent which has been subject to a rent holiday where that rent has later become due but remains in arrears.

Landlords do need to be careful because the Coronavirus Act does not apply to every commercial lease. Clarity of communication is crucial and prudent landlords and tenants will record their agreements in writing. Landlords should take care not to use words which might lose them the right, preserved by the Act, to forfeit for arrears of rent if they are not paid once the rent holiday is over.

How is my rented properties mortgage affected?

If you are the landlord of rented property which is subject to a mortgage, you might want to contact your lender to discuss the possibility of a mortgage holiday to coincide with any rent holiday you might wish to agree with your tenant. At the same time, you may wish to contact your accountant or HMRC about the possibility of deferring your tax liabilities (including VAT where applicable) which might help your cash flow when you are granting rent holidays.

How are tenants notice periods affected?

The main protection for tenants under the Coronavirus Act lies in the imposition of longer notice periods and a prohibition on forfeiture and re-entry of commercial premises.

The approach of the legislature and the court in residential cases is to focus on the most serious arrears. From 29 August 2020, new section 8 notice periods were introduced changing the minimum notice period to six months where arrears are less than six months’ rent, and four weeks where arrears are six months’ rent or more. Furthermore, the court will prioritise the listing of cases which have arrears of twelve months or more.

Are there alternatives to repossession claims?

An alternative to a repossession claim is a simple debt claim for the arrears of rent. Obviously such an action will not lead to recovery of the premises but it may lead to a judgment for a sum of money which can be enforced against the tenant in the usual way. The main advantage is that a debt action will not be subject to the protections which tenants enjoy in relation to possession actions i.e. longer notice periods and a stay of any proceedings.

Where the courts have a discretion in relation to repossession and forfeiture, they are bound to take particular account of the impact of Covid19 and the extent to which rent arrears are due to the pandemic.

• Commercial property: In the case of business leases, the tenant will generally have an opportunity to apply for relief from forfeiture, either where the landlord has already forfeited the lease and taken the premises back (not possible during the Covid19 pandemic) and the court will have a discretion about whether or not to grant relief. In normal circumstances, any tenant who is able to pay off the arrears or demonstrate that they will be able to do so within a reasonable time is likely to be granted relief.  At the moment, relief is likely to be granted in any case where Covid19 has had a significant impact on the tenant’s business, which will generally be the case.
• Residential Property: Different rules apply to residential property. Possession claims are divided into mandatory grounds and discretionary grounds.  In relation to rent arrears, possession is mandatory where the arrears are over 2 months but discretionary where they are not. As in commercial cases, the court is very likely to exercise its discretion against granting possession in any case where Covid19 is a factor.

After initially taking a very firm line on all rent cases, the courts have recently softened their approach slightly. For example, the early guidance indicated that even squatters (who in law are classed as trespassers) would be protected from eviction orders but the position has now changed with the court more willing to grant possession orders. However, resources are stretched leading to often significant delays in the listing of hearings.

How are the Landlord’s obligations affected?

Basically, the landlords obligations under the lease or tenancy remain unchanged. The protections of the Coronavirus Act are for the benefit of tenants, not landlords. This means that an obligation, for example to carry out gas safety checks, will remain in place and the social distancing rules present a challenge but not an excuse for inaction.  

We are seeing action being taken by tenants against landlords for breaches of the landlords obligations. 

Landlords may wish to look at their insurance policies to see whether they have cover for non-payment of rent. Ultimately the answer will depend on the wording of the particular insurance policy and unfortunately loss of rental income due to Covid19 is not often covered.

Social Landlords

The position is slightly different for this sector. Our specialist social housing team can advise you.

GET LEGAL ADVICE AND SUPPORT

Contact our legal experts

At Tozers our specialist solicitors have the experience and expertise you need. With legal experts working in specialist fields across commercial, personal and specialist sectors. Call us now on 01392 207 020 or contact us online.