Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an estimate of the total amount of rent arrears owed by British businesses as at October 2021.

Many businesses have not yet fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic, particularly in vulnerable sectors such as hospitality and retail

Government has committed to ringfencing rent arrears accrued by businesses affected by enforced closures during the pandemic, and introduce a system of binding arbitration to be used as a last resort if landlords and tenants cannot come to a resolution. Full detail will be announced in due course.