PCA Statement – Update on Support for Tied Pub Tenants in Relation to COVID-19

On 6 April the PCA called on the six regulated pub-owning businesses to demonstrate how they propose to support all of their tied tenants through the COVID-19 emergency.

We have made clear to pub-owning businesses that the Pubs Code remains in place, as do their specific statutory duties requiring fair and lawful dealing with their tied tenants. Now more than ever these principles require a fair and transparent approach by pub-owning businesses with their tenants.

It is imperative that pub-owning businesses do as much as they can to help their tied tenants. We have challenged each pub-owning business to show how it is being fair both in its approach to rent and in making arrangements for ensuring as far as possible that every tenant is able to return to trading and profitability after lockdown. To that end, the PCA has told each pub-owning business that is expected is to start from a clear and consistent methodology for how it will support its tenants, and to be open about their approach so that individual tenants know what treatment they can expect. And we have stressed the importance of the Pubs Code requirements in regulation 41 to record and agree conversations with tenants.

The PCA is also concerned to ensure that the financial stresses caused by the COVID-19 lockdown do not translate into inequalities of risk and reward in the regulated sector once pubs reopen.