TROUBLED Southern Cross Healthcare, employing more than 6,000 North-East workers, has asked its landlords to accept a four month deferral on part of their rents.
It comes as the Darlington-based firm, which leases the majority of its 750 care homes, continues attempts to renegotiate rents with landlords.
Southern Cross has struggled as rents it pays to landlords have risen at a faster rate than the fees it receives for residents' care and in March it warned it was in danger of breaching its banking covenants, the conditions imposed by its lenders.
It believes rent re-negotiations, which have been ongoing since last September, are fair because agreements, some for 30 years, were made before the downturn, when the properties had higher valuations.
Today the firm met landlords for more than 90 per cent of its homes for a second time.
The Company put forward a request for a 'Summer Platform' which included asking landlords to agree to a four month deferral of 30 per cent of its current rents with effect from June 1.
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