BRC welcomes extension of business evictions ban

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has welcomed the government’s decision to extend the ban on business evictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Business owners affected by the pandemic will now be protected from eviction until the end of March 2021, communities secretary Robert Jenrick announced Wednesday.

This final extension to protections from the threat of eviction will give landlords and tenants three months to come to an agreement on unpaid rent, Jenrick said.

BRC CEO Helen Dickinson welcomed the news which she said came “just in the nick of time” for many retailers.

“With footfall down and many stores completely shut in November, many are counting on December sales to claw back some of the lost turnover from this year,” Dickinson said.

“This extension will give hard pressed retailers breathing space to trade their way out of rent arrears that may have built up during lockdown. We hope that landlords and tenants will use this time to jointly agree new rent terms and payment plans to deal with any outstanding arrears.”

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