Question
Jon thanks for taking my question.
My restaurant in London was forced to close due to the lock downs. There was no way we could the business going as we were a small company, just myself and my partner. We had 2 servers, and we just could not them on as there was no furlough money for us. In the end we closed in February of this year. We owe about £20,000 in loans for kitchen equipment, and have about £5,000 on a credit card. However, we still owe 4 years on the lease on the building that we let for the restaurant. Neither of us is working, but we are confident we will find work in the hospitality field as there are more jobs becoming available. If we were to go bankrupt, could we include the lease money we owe, and would bankruptcy affect our jobs in the future?
Thank you,
Jacqueline
Answer
Jacqueline,
I am sorry to hear that your restaurant and business was so severely affected by the pandemic and lock downs. So many people have been made redundant and lost their livelihoods due to this unprecedented event, very tragic.
To answer your questions….
If you and your partner are planning to work in the hospitality industry, being bankrupt should not affect getting a job. There are some industries that having a bankruptcy can affect, but yours is not usually one of them. You will know immediately if it will be an issue as it will be disclosed on the job application, and you will need to sign a waiver to have the potential employer look at your credit file.
Again, I do not see you having any issues.
As to going bankrupt, there are some questions that need to be addressed in order to provide good advice. But yes, you can include the outstanding lease you owe in a bankruptcy.
Again, as to if bankruptcy is the best option for you, it will depend on how much you owe, and also if you have any property. There are other questions to answer, but those are the two major ones.
There may be some other insolvency options available to you.
Let me know, and I can advise you further.
Regards, and good luck in the future!
Jon