Description
This session explores critical legal developments in commercial leasing, emphasising the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on rent enforcement, lease renewals, service charges, and the evolving legal landscape between landlords and tenants.
Key Points:
- Post-COVID Legal Shifts in Lease Enforcement:
The temporary moratorium on rent forfeiture and the rise of arbitration mechanisms during the pandemic reshaped landlord-tenant relationships, highlighting the importance of lease flexibility and clearly defined rent suspension clauses. - Landmark Legal Cases Redefining Lease Terms:
Recent Supreme Court and High Court rulings have clarified enforceability of lease provisions (e.g., heads of terms, vacant possession, turnover rents), reinforcing the need for precise language and lawful notices. - Service Charges, Energy Compliance & Lease Renewals:
As energy efficiency standards tighten, service charge disputes and compliance costs are rising. Tenants now challenge rent hikes and demand fairness in both charges and lease renewal terms.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how COVID-19 legislation temporarily altered commercial lease enforcement, including forfeiture bans and arbitration routes.
- Analyse major case law affecting rent suspension, lease negotiations, notice validity, and the use of “heads of terms.”
- Evaluate challenges around service charges, energy compliance, and lease renewals in the current legal and market climate.
