Retailers have started paying rent again but are still fighting with their landlords

Month by month, retailers are starting to pay more rent as states lift shutdown orders and consumers become more comfortable venturing out to shop during the coronavirus pandemic. But negotiations, sometimes heated, continue between tenants and landlords.

Key Points

•     Less than a third of retail companies paid at least 75% of June rent, according to a study by the National Retail Federation and the investment bank PJ Solomon.
  
  
•     By July, the percentage of rent payers had almost doubled to 65%, it said.
  
  
•     Failure to pay rent in full is creating tension between retailers and landlords. In some instances, the disputes wind up in court.
  
  
•     “I think we will see more litigation,” said one lawyer specializing in retail.