Coronavirus: Landlord offers tenant rent break
A landlord has given his self-employed tenant a five-month rent break during the coronavirus outbreak.
Paul Bradshaw lives in Loughborough, Leicestershire, and rents out a property in Lancashire. His tenant, a father-of-four who was already in rent arrears, told Mr Bradshaw he "massively appreciated" the gesture. Mr Bradshaw said he had been contacted by other landlords who had "done similar" with their tenants. The 32-year-old posted about his gesture on Twitter, calling on others to do what is "morally correct". The property in Preston is managed by a letting agency but Mr Bradshaw said he was having difficulty communicating with them. Concerned about his tenant, he drove to the house and spoke to him directly. "He was pretty happy to say the least," Mr Bradshaw said. "He actually said, 'If I had the money Paul, I wouldn't let you do it', but in the circumstances he said it was massively appreciated." Banks have told mortgage lenders they can negotiate a payment holiday, but calls have been made for measures to better protect tenants financially. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to bring forward emergency legislation to support private renters. Mr Bradshaw, who is also self-employed, said he was lucky to be in a situation where he could afford to give his tenant a break. "There will be financial consequences - it's a gesture that's worth a few thousand pounds," he said. "But I think the word profit just needs to be forgotten about right now and everybody just needs to try and break even through this. "People that owe money to those self-employed, people that have got invoices outstanding - I think we all have a responsibility right now just to try and help people in any way that we can." Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.