Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022
2022 Chapter 12An Act to make provision enabling relief from payment of certain rent debts under business tenancies adversely affected by coronavirus to be available through arbitration; and for connected purposes.
Enacted
[24th March 2022]
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
PART 1 Introductory provisions¶
I1I11 Overview¶
I2I22 “Rent” and “business tenancy”¶
I3I33 “Protected rent debt”¶
I4I44 “Adversely affected by coronavirus”¶
I5I55 “Protected period”¶
I6I66 “The matter of relief from payment”¶
PART 2 Arbitration¶
Approved arbitration bodies¶
I7I77 Approval of arbitration bodies¶
I8I88 Functions of approved arbitration bodies¶
References to arbitration by tenant or landlord¶
I9I99 Period for making a reference to arbitration¶
I10I1010 Requirements for making a reference to arbitration¶
Proposals for resolving the matter of relief from payment¶
I11I1111 Proposals for resolving the matter of relief from payment¶
I12I1212 Written statements¶
Arbitration awards¶
I13I1313 Arbitration awards available¶
I14I1414 Arbitrator’s award on the matter of relief from payment¶
I15I1515 Arbitrator’s principles¶
I16I1616 Arbitrator: assessment of “viability” and “solvency”¶
I17I1717 Timing of arbitrator’s award¶
I18I1818 Publication of award¶
Arbitration fees and oral hearings¶
I19I1919 Arbitration fees and expenses¶
I20I2020 Oral hearings¶
Guidance¶
I21I2121 Guidance¶
Modification of Part 1 of the Arbitration Act 1996¶
I22I2222 Modification of Part 1 of the Arbitration Act 1996¶
Schedule 1 modifies Part 1 of the Arbitration Act 1996 in relation to arbitrations under this Part.PART 3 Moratorium on certain remedies and insolvency arrangements¶
I23I2323 Temporary moratorium on enforcement of protected rent debts¶
I24I2424 Alteration of moratorium period¶
I25I2525 Temporary restriction on initiating certain insolvency arrangements¶
I26I2626 Temporary restriction on initiating arbitration proceedings¶
I2727 Temporary restriction on winding-up petitions and petitions for bankruptcy orders¶
Schedule 3 contains temporary provision in relation to winding up petitions and petitions for bankruptcy orders.PART 4 Final provisions¶
I28I2828 Power to apply Act in relation to future periods of coronavirus control¶
I29I2929 Concurrent power for Welsh Ministers to apply moratorium provisions again¶
I30I3030 Crown application¶
This Act binds the Crown (but without prejudice to section 2(5) which secures that the business tenancies to which this Act applies are those to which Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 applies).I31I3131 Extent, commencement and short title¶
SCHEDULES
SCHEDULE 1 ¶
Modifications of the Arbitration Act 1996 in relation to arbitrations under this Act
Section 22
SCHEDULE 2 ¶
Temporary moratorium on enforcement of protected rent debts
Section 23
I35I351 Preliminary: interpretation¶
I36I362 Making a debt claim¶
I37I373 Debt claims made before the day on which this Act is passed¶
-
“debt claim” has the same meaning as in paragraph 2;
-
“tenant” includes—
-
a person who has guaranteed the obligations of the tenant under a business tenancy,
-
a person other than the tenant who is liable on an indemnity basis for the payment of rent under a business tenancy, and
-
a former tenant who is liable for the payment of rent under a business tenancy.
-
I38I384 Using CRAR (the commercial rent arrears recovery power)¶
Enforcing a right of re-entry or forfeiture¶
Using landlord’s right to appropriate rent¶
I43I439 Using tenant’s deposit to apply towards unpaid rent debt¶
SCHEDULE 3 ¶
Winding-up and bankruptcy petitions
Section 27
I441 Prohibition on presenting a winding-up petition solely in relation to a protected rent debt¶
-
“the moratorium period”, in relation to a protected rent debt, has the same meaning as in section 23;
-
“registered company” means a company registered under the Companies Act 2006 in England and Wales or Scotland;
-
“unregistered company” has the same meaning as in Part 5 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
I45I452 Prohibition on presenting a bankruptcy order petition in relation to a protected rent debt¶
I46I463 Bankruptcy orders made before the day on which this Act is passed¶
I47I474 Interpretation¶
-
“interim receiver” means a person appointed under section 286 of the Insolvency Act 1986;
-
“special manager” means a person appointed under section 370 of that Act;
-
“trustee” means the trustee of a bankrupt’s estate.
Footnotes
- I1S. 1 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I2S. 2 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I3S. 3 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I4S. 4 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I5S. 5 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I6S. 6 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I7S. 7 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I8S. 8 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I9S. 9 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I10S. 10 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I11S. 11 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I12S. 12 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I13S. 13 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I14S. 14 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I15S. 15 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I16S. 16 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I17S. 17 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I18S. 18 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I19S. 19 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I20S. 20 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I21S. 21 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I22S. 22 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I23S. 23 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I24S. 24 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I25S. 25 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I26S. 26 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I27S. 27 in force at 1.4.2022 for specified purposes, see s. 31(5)
- I28S. 28 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I29S. 29 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I30S. 30 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I31S. 31 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I32Sch. 1 para. 1 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I33Sch. 1 para. 2 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I34Sch. 1 para. 3 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I35Sch. 2 para. 1 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I36Sch. 2 para. 2 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I37Sch. 2 para. 3 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I38Sch. 2 para. 4 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I39Sch. 2 para. 5 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I40Sch. 2 para. 6 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I41Sch. 2 para. 7 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I42Sch. 2 para. 8 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I43Sch. 2 para. 9 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I44Sch. 3 para. 1 in force at 1.4.2022, see s. 31(5)
- I45Sch. 3 para. 2 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I46Sch. 3 para. 3 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)
- I47Sch. 3 para. 4 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 31(4)