Where a landlord forfeits its lease, subject to any available relief or exemption, the landlord is liable to business rates in respect of the premises.

Empty premises business rates exemption will provide time-limited relief to a landlord who has re-entered premises. However, a landlord should be cautious of exercising its right to forfeit a lease in cases where it does not have another tenant "waiting in the wings".

The ratepayer

Business rates are paid by occupiers and, in certain circumstances, owners of premises.

The making of a bankruptcy order alone will not deprive a judgment creditor of a final charging order where it is obtained before the bankruptcy order is made.

In the case of William Hare Ltd v Shepherd Construction Ltd [2009] EWHC 1603 (TCC) (25 June 2009), the court declined to incorporate amendments made to an Act before the contract was signed which were not specifically referred to in the contract.

The facts

To avoid an asset reverting to a bankrupt after the end of his period of bankruptcy, the asset must be realised. An assignment of a beneficial interest for a future price does not amount to a realisation.

A question facing many landlords is whether, when a tenant company faces insolvency and shows no intention of continuing to trade from the premises, they should take back the property and seek to relet it?

There are several key issues here, including:

• rates liability
• mitigating losses
• ability to recover from third parties and former tenants.

A landlord's decision has often turned on the type of insolvency faced by the tenant.

If a liquidator disclaims the lease:

The courts have the power to and increasingly will make a civil restraint order where an individual persistently issues claims that are totally without merit.

"Leaving the mice in charge of the cheese..." is how one commentator described the now far from unusual phenomenon of the pre-pack administration sale. But what is meant by a "pre-pack"; are they lawful and what is the legitimate area for concern? While they were fairly uncommon in the past, pre-packs now seem to have become all the rage. Why? What scope is there for challenge or review if abuse is suspected?

What is a "pre-pack"?

For debtors with limited liabilities, little surplus income and minimal gross assets, the new Debt Relief Order (DRO) is a further tool to consider in managing their debts. DROs, which came into force on 6 April 2009, are aimed at those who find they are unable to pay off their debts within a reasonable time but for whom other forms of debt relief, such as bankruptcy or Individual Voluntary Arrangements, are unavailable, or perhaps unaffordable.

What are the criteria for a DRO?

A DRO can be applied for where the debtor:

Although service of a statutory demand or winding-up petition on a company is a blunt and unsophisticated debt recovery tool, it will often have the desired effect for a creditor as they are seldom ignored and ignored only at the company's peril. It can often prompt payment of the sum due, or judgment owed, where previously there has been prevarication and empty promises of payment.

Here is a reminder of some important issues a (solvent) company should consider if a statutory demand or petition is served upon it.

Doing nothing is not an option

Where a debtor's assets exceed his liabilities, the onus is on the debtor to prove he can not pay his debts if a creditor seeks to annul the bankruptcy order.

In Paulin v Paulin and another, the defendant petitioned for his own bankruptcy claiming he was unable to pay his debts. The claimant applied for the order to be annulled claiming the defendant could afford to pay his debts and was deliberately attempting to defeat her claims in the matrimonial proceedings.