When restaurateur Glenn Boyland heard the Federal Government announce its radical plan to subsidise workers' wages, he was overwhelmed.

Key points: National Cabinet is on Tuesday expected to reveal details of its plan to get landlords and tenants to work together

National Cabinet is on Tuesday expected to reveal details of its plan to get landlords and tenants to work together While some powerful tenants are dictating the rules, others are stressed, with business virtually vanishing overnight

While some powerful tenants are dictating the rules, others are stressed, with business virtually vanishing overnight There is hope a revamped industry code can help the standoff between landlords and tenants

"You know, I had tears of joy," he said.

"It was the first real good news that came through."

Moments later he got the next monthly rent instalment for his restaurant — $64,000.

Joy turned to fear and misery.

"That's the first thing I opened up in my emails, the next month's rent," said the proprietor of Blue Fish in Sydney, choking back tears.

"I'm praying. We need a rent freeze. Unless we get a rent freeze, we can't survive."

Boyland's experience echoes that of large numbers of business owners who've had their cash flow dashed by the lockdown put in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

So far, his landlord is playing hardball — maintaining it can't help him until it gets assistance from the Government.

He's hoping desperately that the Government intervenes to make landlords give rent relief.

National Cabinet plan expected

National Cabinet is today expected to reveal more detail of its plan to get landlords and tenants to work together.

Some detail on commercial tenancies has already been released, but for the 8 million Australians living in rented accommodation, the only guidance they've had in the crisis is one line ruling an "eviction ban" in a statement last Sunday.

"National Cabinet agreed to a moratorium on evictions over the next six months for commercial and residential tenancies in financial distress who are unable to meet their commitments due to the impact of coronavirus," it read.

The body of premiers and top members of the Federal Government has been examining huge structural issues to prop up the economy through the crisis.

It has delayed deciding what to do for residential tenants — and landlords — five times.

Matt Lanigan's cafe and function space was an early casualty of the coronavirus crisis. Business virtually vanished overnight.

"To continue to trade we basically needed to provide a necessity to the community," he said, explaining why he converted the space into a supermarket called the Lucky Penny Grocery Store.

The plan — to lose less money, but hold on — hasn't been helped by his rent.

Lanigan said his landlord's agent tried to lock him into a pre-coronavirus agreement and behaved appallingly.

"Aggressive," he said. "Sneaky, but trying to position himself as supportive."

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Some powerful tenants dictating the rules

On the other hand, some tenants are dictating the rules.

Billionaire retailer Solomon Lew's Premier Investments, which operates brands including Just Jeans, Smiggle and Peter Alexander, announced it would refuse to pay rent for more than 850 stores across the country.

Similarly, car retailer AP Eagers, owner of the Bill Buckle brand, informed its landlords it wanted a three-month rent moratorium as it closed sites.

Landlords are mad because the car dealer will go ahead with plans to pay shareholders a reduced dividend this month.

It's the sort of behaviour retail and landlord groups are attempting to avoid as the crisis drags on.

Both parties are waiting for state and federal governments to ratify a code of conduct which includes these key principles:

A temporary moratorium on evictions for not paying rent if you're affected by coronavirus

A temporary moratorium on evictions for not paying rent if you're affected by coronavirus An encouragement for landlords and tenants to agree on rent relief for a defined period

An encouragement for landlords and tenants to agree on rent relief for a defined period The ability for tenants to end leases or seek mediation on the grounds of financial distress

The ability for tenants to end leases or seek mediation on the grounds of financial distress An expectation that landlords and tenants not significantly affected by coronavirus will honour their agreements

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted that a proportionality principle be inserted into the code so concessions are linked to the extent of financial distress.

Businesses want certainty

Chrissie Maus, who represents a group which markets and promotes Melbourne's Chapel Street precinct, said the code was sorely needed.

"What I'm hopeful for is that once this has happened, the state premiers will put this into regulation so that every landlord across Australia will be bound by these same principles," she said.

"I know a lot of clusters of businesses in Chapel Street that have got together, tried to do negotiations with their landlord," she said.

"Their landlord won't have a bar of it. So they're actually in this kind of desperation stage which puts them to a point where they have to not pay rent. And it's a stand-off … isn't it?"

Chrissie Maus, who represents a group which markets and promotes Melbourne's Chapel Street precinct, says clusters of businesses are grouping together to negotiate with landlords. ( Simon Winter )

Broker Gab Aghion understands the issue from all sides: he specialises in finding, designing and negotiating leases for tenants looking for office space.

"We're seeing a flurry of activity. A lot of tenants are now contacting us mid-lease — which is unusual — asking for advice, asking how to deal with their landlord and how to assist with their cash flow problems," the property director of BRM Projects said.

At the moment all of Mr Aghion's staff are working from home.

"I would say most businesses are in distress in one way or another, or are impacted or about to be impacted in terms of their sales," he said.

"In which case, our advice would be to not aggressively withhold your rent. But I wouldn't be paying, I would be communicating to your landlord that it's quarantined, and that allows you to start a dialogue".

Broker Gab Aghion says many more people are seeking advice about how to deal with their landlord. ( Supplied. )

Beyond the thousands of conflicts between landlords and tenants playing out across the country, the message — according to Mr Aghion — is clear.

"The way we're going to be judged after this is how we've treated each other, and we need to be able to look at each other in the eye," he said.

Back at Lucky Penny, Matt Lanigan considers his survival the best thing his landlord could wish for.

"Absolutely. He'll be very lucky to have us," he said.

Because when the crisis ends, landlords are likely to cherish a business that can pay its bills.