Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2013
187. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to debtors within the National Asset Management Agency applying pressure to commercial tenants with upward-only rent leases; and if NAMA has any policy which encourages debtors to engage with tenants on rents, rather than pursue them through expensive court battles and potentially close tenant businesses down. [46340/13]
View answerNAMA proactively encourages its debtors and receivers to engage with tenants in relation to rents and operates a specific Guidance Note to enable tenants to make an application through their landlord for a reduction in rent on upward-only commercial leases relating to business premises that secure its loans. Under the Guidance Note on Upwards Only Rent Reviews, which NAMA published in December 2011, and which is available on the Agency’s website, http://www.nama.ie/download/publications/NAMAGuidanceNoteUpwardOnlyRentReviews.pdf it has to date approved rent abatements proposed by its debtors and receivers with an aggregate annual value in excess of €17m. NAMA has refused only 10 of the 312 applications received to date. If any tenant considers that his or her landlord is not engaging with them as specified in the Guidance Note, he or she can contact NAMA directly through the email address, info@nama.ie.
