The Slovak parliament passed a bill that will allow people and companies to defer payment of rent for three months, but critics of the bill are warning that it does nothing but delay the problem. Erika Schwarcz, a lawyer at GHS Legal, says the legal move solves nothing and makes it impossible for landlords to evict tenants before the end of the year. He says the only way to avoid widespread bankruptcies would be for the state to intervene by providing at least partial compensation. “For companies whose business will pick up only slowly over time, it could be fatal if the government didn’t take any other action.” Tenant who defer their rental payments have until the end of the year to catch up on their rents. After that, landlords will be allowed to end leases with their tenants who are unable to do so.
