The Government today announced that it would be extending the moratorium on aggressive landlord debt enforcement to 31 December.

It will immediately amend legislation so that eviction and lease forfeiture, as well as Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery, will not be available to landlords until 1 January 2021. Government has yet to decide whether to extend legislation prohibiting landlords pursuing Statutory Demands and Winding Up petitions to the same date. 

The BRC welcomes the extension of these protections as vital to help tenants recover from the impact of closures and limited footfall following the reopening of shops, but recognises that they do not go as far as is needed.

A number of retailers continue to pursued for rent by landlords using County Court Judgements. The BRC is lobbying Government to include these within the scope of the banned measures.