Some cases like that will definitely slip through. There is a balance between the governments doing strict checks and building a bureaucratic process and providing quick cash injection into the whole economy. It's one of the learnings from TARP [1] where help requests were thoroughly screened and as a result it came too late in many cases.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubled_Asset_Relief_Program

It was the first bailout they announced - rates (property tax for business) are free for 20/21, and then a £10,000 grant for the smallest of rate payers, rising for businesses with larger premises. That covers loads of smaller short let owners.

For my 3 properties that covers maybe 50% of the shortfall I'll see this summer.

(I'm not saying it's right, but it's happened)

Imagine that, tax money going to the propertied and elite rentier class.[1][2][3]

[1] https://www.resilience.org/stories/2017-08-03/book-day-corru...

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/sep/10/push-fi...

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/apr/17/who-owns-engla...

Most are negatively geared regardless; so the losses are just taken off your taxable income.

What would be hilarious is to hear the arguments justifying this bail-out