Business Dispute Resolution

The government has extended the ban on businesses being evicted during the Covid pandemic until September. Stephanie Johnson Associate Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. The measures to protect struggling businesses include: amending the Coronavirus Act to extend the time period for suspension of the forfeiture of evictions from 30th June to 30th September 2020, meaning no business will be forced out of their premises if they…

By Natalie Tatton Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution Team The tenants of eleven terrace houses had no right to acquire the freehold title as their leases excluded certain structural parts of their property. That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving Freehold Properties 250 Ltd v Beverley Ann Field & 18 Ors (2020). Freehold Properties appealed against a decision of the County Court that 11 of…

The government has published its new bill designed to relieve the pressure on businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. It’s hoped the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill will ease some of the pressures posed by the threat of reduced trading and allow directors to focus all their efforts on continuing to operate. The Bill will: introduce temporary easements on filing requirements and Annual General Meetings (AGMs) introduce new corporate restructuring…

Stephanie Johnson Associate Solicitor provides an update. Shops and small businesses will be protected from aggressive rent collection during the Covid-19 emergency. Instead, Business Secretary Alok Sharma says they will be asked to pay what they can over the next two months. Mr Sharma says most landlords and tenants are working well together to reach agreements on debt obligations, but some landlords have been putting tenants under undue pressure by…

Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution provides an update As we have previously reported, as a result of the Coronavirus Act and changes to the court rules, tenants in both commercial and residential properties have been given extra protection to avoid eviction during government restrictions and the coronavirus pandemic. The courts have now, however, modified the general stay on possession proceedings that was granted recently and added the…

Commercial tenants who cannot pay their rent due to Covid-19 will be protected from eviction under new legislation. Many landlords and tenants are already having conversations and reaching voluntary arrangements about rental payments, but the government says it recognises that businesses struggling with their cashflow due to coronavirus remain worried. The emergency Coronavirus Act provides that no business will be forced out of their premises if they miss a payment…

Athena Brands has won a contract dispute with Superdrug Stores over the supply of various cosmetic products. Athena claimed that it had entered into a binding agreement with Superdrug in an exchange of emails with one of its employees. In the course of the email exchange, Athena had asked the employee to confirm that he was placing orders and committing to the specified yearly minimum quantity. He had emailed back…

Amid all the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak business owners may feel their fate isn’t in their own hands – but in fact there’s lots that they can do to help them take control. “These are uncertain times. No-one knows exactly how this is going to play out. But there are certain things you can do to protect your business,” said David Tew, a dispute resolution specialist with Cartmell…

The government has reinforced its commitment to protecting tenants in the private rental sector by awarding councils a total of £4 million to crack down on criminal landlords and letting agents. The new funding will be shared by more than 100 councils across England, enabling them to take enforcement action against offenders and advise tenants of their housing rights. If the measures prove successful, it’s likely that similar grants will…

The restaurant chain Bella Italia has lost a dispute about terminating a commercial lease. The property in question was a new development of retail premises on a site owned by two groups of trustees. In November 2014, Bella signed the agreement for lease, with the trustees as the named freeholder and landlord. The other parties to the agreement were the developer and a company which guaranteed Bella’s obligations under the…