Government guidance released

News at Howard Independent Estate Agents | 13/05/2020

Following last night's announcement that sales and lettings activity can resume within England, our regulator Propertymark has issued the following bulletin outlining how agents will move forward in practice, to keep the market moving safely and responsibly....

"Propertymark has been working with the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government to try to make arrangements to ensure that housing markets can resume as soon as possible, and this guidance will support agents in making arrangements within their own businesses.

Property sales and lettings are one of the first areas of business to resume and the guidance clearly states that this is not a return to normality. New processes must be put in place to ensure that social distancing and safety are the top priority. Agents can open branches but should consider appropriate arrangements for individual members of staff, given government guidance on safer working.

No open house viewings are permitted, and agents should not drive clients to appointments.

Checks should be made on all parties to ensure that nobody with any Coronavirus symptoms takes part in any in-person activity. The focus remains on virtual activity in the first instance with physical viewings only taking place where there is serious intention to rent or buy.

Arrangements for viewings should only involve the number of participants that are essential, in many cases this will mean less buyers or applicants than previously.

Agents can accompany physical viewings and seek to maintain a minimum of 2 metres distance from others wherever possible. Where social distancing is not possible and the visit is within an enclosed space, they should consider wearing a face covering. The householder must remain outside or in another room during viewings and the householder is responsible for cleaning and sanitising surfaces, opening windows, and ensuring maximum ventilation.

If possible, necessary repairs, gas, and electrical safety checks should be conducted in the period between a property being vacated and a new tenant moving in. If this is not possible and visits are needed to an occupied property, this should be done by appointment with measures put in place to ensure physical contact is minimised, for example with residents staying in another room during the visit.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Robert Jenrick will make a statement in parliament after Prime Minister's Questions today"

The full guidance can be found here. It goes without saying at Howard we will be abiding by the rules and doing all we can to keep everyone safe. We will provide further updates shortly as to how we will move forward in terms of viewings etc. In the meantime we are of course happy to respond to enquiries and any questions you may have.