Number of Tenants who Submitted Notifications for Relief under COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act and Number of Landlords who Filed for Applications for Assessor’s Determination

Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked the Minister for Law (a) to date, how many tenants have submitted Notifications for Relief under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act; (b) of these Notifications, how many landlords have filed for Applications for Assessor's Determination; and (c) whether the assessors have a long backlog of cases.

Between 20 April 2020 and 29 May 2020, 1,254 Notifications for Relief relating to leases or licences of non-residential property have been served using the online system.

We have always encouraged parties to first discuss, understand each other's positions, and try to reach a mutual agreement. It appears that many of those who submitted NFRs may be negotiating or have reached a mutual agreement with the counter parties, without requiring an Assessor's determination. In the same period, 125 applications (excluding rejected or withdrawn applications) for an Assessor's determination relating to leases or licences of non-residential property were filed with the Registry. Slightly more than half of the applications are filed by landlords or master tenants in the role of landlords.

The Minister for Law has appointed 266 assessors to hear applications for determination under the Act. There are enough assessors to ensure that applications for determination are disposed of in a timely manner. The process is also designed to be simple and efficient, so that applications can be dealt with quickly.