1. Can I lock the tenant out of the property until they pay?
No. If a tenant has been placed in administration then there will be a moratorium in place. This gives a company some breathing space. Rights against the company, such as forfeiture or conducting legal proceedings, can only be pursued with either the consent of the administrator or a court order. As noted last week, changing the locks is likely to forfeit the lease. Unless you intend to forfeit and obtain the necessary permission to do so, you should not change the locks.
Background
The concept of cell companies was first introduced to Jersey in February 2006. In addition to the widely recognised principle of the protected cell company ("PCC"), a new concept of incorporated cell company ("ICC"), the first of its kind, was also implemented.
KWL Advertising Limited (in liquidation) ("KWL") -v- Kountouris & Kountouris, Guernsey UnreportedJudgment, 18 October 2006
In the current recession landlords are among the fi rst to lose out when a company goes into insolvency, be it a pre-pack sale or a conventional administration process. It is important, therefore, for landlords to know what rights they retain when confronted with the administration of their tenant in order to ensure the full rent is paid - if they are still entitled to it - or, at the very least, to increase their bargaining position. In this article, we look at the circumstances where an administrator is obliged to pay the landlord’s rent in full.
In the matter of the Representation of Gregory Branch and Lee Manning, Joint Liquidators of AAA Holdings Limited (in liquidation) [2009]JRC110
This judgment is of interest as being the first occasion on which the Royal Court in Jersey was asked to sanction the compromise of a claim under Article 170 of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 (the "Companies Law").
Bisson -v- Barker, P. Bish, H. Bish and Viscount 2008 JLR N[46]
This decision addresses the court's powers to order the winding up of a company on just and equitable grounds pursuant to Article 155 of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991.
The company in question (the "Company") had operated two businesses in the Island. Relations between certain of the shareholders, involved in the management of the two businesses, broke down, such that it became impossible for them to continue to work together.
The Viscount
- Consultation ends September 7 2009
- Likely to re-ignite controversy over 'pre-pack' administrations
New proposals by the Government to improve access to rescue finance for small companies would allow larger or complex businesses to make private applications to the courts for an "administration-type" regime without creditors necessarily knowing. Proposals in the same consultation on lending to insolvent companies could drive up the cost of borrowing, says Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP (RPC), the City law firm.
The draft Legislative Reform (Insolvency) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order 2009 has now been published detailing the proposed changes to the Insolvency Act 1986. The aim of the changes is to reduce costs and the administrative burden on users of the legislation and subsequently benefi t the creditors of insolvent companies and individuals through more fl exible procedures and increased dividends.
In the current climate, both landlords and tenants could be forgiven for wondering what would happen if the other became a victim of the recession. For both parties, a rent deposit deed can provide some comfort. Such a deed would mean the landlord has immediate access to cold hard cash if the tenant fails to pay the rent, while a struggling tenant may get valuable breathing space before the landlord turns to other remedies.
The European High Yield Association's proposals for reforming the UK insolvency laws risk pushing the UK towards the US litigation-heavy model says Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP, the City law firm.
In proposals submitted to HM Treasury, the trade body for the high yield debt industry called for a "court supervised restructuring process" where: