Experts discuss how the pandemic has impacted landlords and occupiers of commercial property and what this means for the future of leases, in this Place North West podcast sponsored by law firm Kuits Solicitors.

David Moroney, commercial property partner at Kuits, is joined by Andrew Cooke, director of Manchester at Bruntwood Works, the developer’s offices arm, which creates and manages more than 5m sq ft of workspace across the UK.

Questions asked in this episode:

• Have tenants generally failed to pay rent during the pandemic, and, if so, what legal issues has this raised? What is the legal position for each party?

• To what extent are landlords and funders demonstrating flexibility with regard lease and other property agreements?

• How will the current environment impact landlord and tenant relations going forward, and what can we expect in terms of new leases? Will companies seek shorter, more flexible terms?

• How are commercial landlords working to achieve a safe reopening of office and retail property for their occupiers?

• Will there be any issues that need resolving during this transition period, such as increased service charges as offices are managed more carefully?