The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced so many unprecedented complexities for businesses throughout Queensland. An immediate challenge facing landlords and tenants is how to reconcile their commercial and retail lease obligations. Many business operations have been significantly interrupted and are now seeking to navigate the challenging economic conditions ahead.

Following the release of the National Cabinet’s Code of Conduct for commercial tenancies in April, the Queensland Government released the Retail Shop Leases and Other Commercial Leases (COVID-19 Emergency Response) Regulation 2020 on 28 May 2020 aimed to assist small businesses recover and rebuild. On the same day the regulation was passed, the Queensland Small Business Commissioner was activated to provide small businesses with information, advocacy, and informal dispute resolution and mediation services for small business leases.

In this webinar, we will be joined by the commissioner Maree Adshead and experienced commercial Tenant Representative Richard Pigott to discuss the full extent of lessor and lessees' obligations under the regulation, how to negotiate rent relief, what to expect if you have a dispute that goes through mediation and the support that can be accessed through the Office of the Queensland Small Business Commissioner.