Pharmacy Daily | Prepare for lease negotiations: Guild

WESTERN Australian pharmacy owners are being urged to access the latest Pharmacy Guild of Australia LeaseMap comparison report, with one-in-four pharmacies in the State set to enter lease renewal negotiations this year.

WA Guild Branch President, Andrew Ngeow, said the report could help members secure fair outcomes when engaging with landlords in the coming months.

"LeaseMap has an unparalleled amount of data on the community pharmacy rental market in WA and can provide each pharmacy owner with directly comparable rental market data that has been sourced from a large quantity of documented and verifiable lease evidence," he said.

"In providing information which simply is not available from another source, LeaseMap enables WA Guild members to enter their lease negotiations with an in-depth understanding of market conditions."

The 2021 report includes an assessment of the total dollar difference for each lease, as compared with the current market.

"This new feature will assist members to simply and easily understand whether they're getting a good deal, or how much they should expect to save if they re-negotiate," he said.

"I would encourage all WA Branch members to access the data and critical expertise provided through LeaseMap to assist them to negotiate fair and reasonable leases."

Ngeow added that the Guild has lobbied the State Government to extend the timeframe for tenants to receive support in their disputes with landlords following the end of the 'emergency period' under the Commercial Tenancies (COVID-19 Response) Act 2020 (WA).

The Act has been amended to allow eligible tenants to submit a request for rent relief up to 60 days after the end of the emergency period in relation to loss in turnover experienced during the period, and allows parties to a small commercial lease to commence action up to 60 days after the end of the emergency period to resolve a dispute relating to a matter that arose during the emergency period.