Your landlord is threatening to lock you out.
The workshop may become inaccessible
A workshop owner receives a message saying the locks may be changed over unpaid rent. Customer goods, equipment and current job records are inside. The owner thinks a small payment should buy time, but there is no written agreement. The next step must address both the right to occupy and what the business will do if access becomes unavailable.
Read the actual threat and lease
Save the message, any formal notice and the full lease with later variations. Record the dates received and the arrears alleged. Ask a business-leasing lawyer which state rules and lease provisions apply to these premises. In Victoria, the Victorian Small Business Commission explains that retail-lease coverage differs from other commercial leasing; obtain advice for the actual premises and jurisdiction.
Arrange urgent advice on any proposed termination, entry or lockout. A disagreement about the landlord’s rights should be addressed through the proper process, not by forcing access or relying on verbal assurances from a third party.
Source: Victorian Small Business Commission — Retail premises
Make the payment conversation precise
Reconcile the rent ledger and identify what can realistically be paid. Ask the landlord to state in writing whether a proposed arrangement changes the threatened action and on what conditions. Do not treat a partial payment as confirmation that the tenancy dispute has ended.
Check the ongoing position as well as arrears. If the business cannot pay current rent after making an initial instalment, it needs a different proposal. Include relocation or an agreed exit in the advice discussion where continued occupation is unaffordable.
Protect information and customer property
Maintain lawful, secure backups of customer orders, accounts and ownership records. List which goods belong to customers, financiers or other parties. Photographs and serial numbers can help identify equipment if access becomes disputed.
Do not remove fixtures or property you do not own without permission and advice. Decide how customers will be informed if delivery dates change, and who can organise authorised collection. A calm plan avoids making an access dispute worse through rushed action.
Know how long the business can stop
Estimate the cash effect of a day, a week and a longer interruption. A cash-flow forecast makes the cost of lost production visible. Include storage, transport and restart expenses rather than counting rent alone.
If the business is unable to meet several debts, the tenancy issue may be part of a broader financial problem. Give advisers the full creditor picture so a lease solution does not simply shift the same shortage to wages, tax or suppliers.
Prepare the access and records plan
Send the lease and every notice to a qualified leasing adviser urgently.
Ask for written confirmation of any payment and access arrangement.
Back up records and list customer-owned goods and financed equipment.
Calculate interruption costs and prepare a lawful operating contingency.
Call CRP today about threatened loss of business premises and coordinating urgent financial and legal support.