Re SHB Realisation Ltd (formerly BHS Ltd); Wright and another (as joint liquidators of SHB Realisations Ltd (formerly BHS Ltd)) v Prudential Assurance Companies Ltd [2018] EWHC 402 (Ch); [2018] All ER (D) 58 (Mar)
Synopsis
If you are a landlord where the tenant company goes into liquidation you should consider your options carefully before taking any action.
In such a case, the liquidator is able to disclaim “onerous property,” which is likely to include a lease at an open market (or similar) rent. The effect of the disclaimer is to bring the liability of the tenant company to an end as well as ending its interest in the property.
Daniel Gatty discusses the recent High Court ruling in Leon v Her Majesty’s Attorney General and others [2018] EWHC 3026 (Ch) and its impact on the grant of vesting orders following the disclaimer of a lease.
Readers of this column will be aware of the complications that can ensue when a lease is disclaimed by a tenant’s liquidator under section 178 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986), by a tenant’s trustee in bankruptcy under section 315 of the IA 1986 or by the Crown under section 1013 of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) following dissolution of a tenant company.
This is the third occasion on which I have posted on this blog on the issue of after the event insurance (ATE) policies and the impact which they have on applications for security for costs.
In the first post on 16 November 2017, I praised the judgment of Snowden J in Premier Motorauctions v Pricewaterhouse Coopers for appearing to bring clarity to an area which had for some time struggled with near irreconcilable decisions.
Can an adjudicator have jurisdiction over claims for sums owed to a referring party in liquidation? The TCC has decided in Lonsdale v Bresco that insolvency set-off precludes adjudication of such claims.
Background
Bresco had agreed to perform electrical installation works for Lonsdale in August 2014. Those works were not completed and both parties alleged wrongful termination. Bresco later became insolvent and entered into liquidation in March 2015.
The revised Practice Direction: Insolvency Proceedings
July 2018
The British Property Federation has produced a document to codify CVA best practice with a view to giving guidance to insolvency practitioners on key items landlords will look for in a CVA proposal.
The document is available on the BPF's website and can be found here.
On June 22, creditors of House of Fraser will vote on CVA proposals in the culmination of a bid to restructure the retailer which has hit headlines in both property and mainstream news. The proposals would see 31 of House of Fraser's 59 stores closed, and a 25% rent reduction in respect of a further 10.
In a judgment handed down on 13 April 2018, Morgan J entirely dismissed a claim for £35m made against the former directors (and alleged shadow/de facto directors), and professional advisors of Instant Access Properties Limited (IAP).
You have instructions to commence proceedings for damages for personal injury against a defendant company only to find that the company has entered in to a Company Voluntary Arrangement (“CVA”). What procedural issues arise and what steps should be taken?
What is a CVA?