Industry experts question extension of evictions ban

摘要

When the government announced plans last month to extend the moratorium on the forfeiture of commercial leases, the property industry was up in arms. Vivienne King of Revo said the "situation has been exploited"; Adam Coffer of the Property Owners Forum said "the moratorium has consistently been abused"; and Melanie Leech of the British Property Federation said: "I think there's going to be uproar if they extend it without offering some help to landlords." The measure, which was initially introduced at the end of March as part of the Coronavirus Act 2020, removes the threat of eviction for commercial tenants that fail to pay rents. It was initially due to expire at the end of September, but has now been extended until the end of the year.