The temporary insolvency restrictions protections for commercial tenants are lifting as new measures are introduced. The Insolvency Service is announcing that they are phasing out temporary measures brought in during the pandemic from 1 October 2021.
The pandemic is still causing distress for many businesses. Current measures are helping viable businesses avoid going into insolvency.
New legislation is being drawn up to help smaller companies get back on their feet. But they will need to act soon before creditors start taking action.
The new legislation will:
- Protect businesses from creditors insisting on paying back small debts, by raising the current debt threshold for a winding up petition to £10,000 or more.
- Require creditors to seek proposals for payment from a debtor business, giving them 21 days for a response before they can proceed with winding up action.
These measures will be in force until 31 March 2022.
Businesses should pay rents where they are able to do so. However, some restrictions on commercial landlords will stay. The measure protects tenants from eviction for failing to repay rent arrears built up during the pandemic.
The UK government remains firm that commercial tenants will continue to be protected from eviction until 31 March 2022. This is whilst the government implements a new scheme to deal with commercial rent debts accrued over the last year.
See: End of temporary insolvency measures – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)