The housing market in England is to remain open during the four week lockdown. The Housing Secretary confirmed the news via Twitter after Boris Johnson announced the lockdown.
Current Government guidance from August, says: “The process of searching for and moving into a new home is different because property agents, conveyancers and other professionals have modified how they work to reduce the risk from COVID-19. These changes could include doing more online, such as offering virtual viewings; vacating your current property during viewings; and ensuring your property is thoroughly cleaned before someone else moves in.
- We encourage all parties involved to be as flexible as possible and to be prepared to delay moves, for example if one of those involved becomes ill with COVID-19 during the moving process or has to self-isolate. It may become necessary to pause all home moves locally or nationally for a short period of time to manage the spread of coronavirus. We will let you know if this needs to happen.
- If you are about to enter into a legally binding contract, you should discuss the possible implications of COVID-19 with your legal professional and consider making contractual provisions to manage these risks. You should not expect to immediately be able to move into any home where people have COVID-19 or are self-isolating.
- Those renting a property, letting agents and landlords should be aware of and follow the government guidance on coronavirus and renting which contains further advice that may also be applicable such as on possession proceedings, repairs, maintenance and health and safety.”
- For members of the public the Government guidance note says: “You are free to move home. However, you may find the process of searching for and moving into a new home is different, as property agents, conveyancers and other professionals have modified how they work to reduce the risk from COVID-19.
- Initial viewings should be done virtually wherever possible. As part of our marketing approach, we have created a 360 degree online viewing for every home to ensure we operate as safely as possible and efficiently so the steps we took earlier in the year ensure we are well placed to manage any viewing enquiries that come into the office
- Members of the public who are visiting an agent’s office or viewing a property should wear a suitable face covering as described in government guidance unless they are exempt from this requirement. This should be confirmed with the agent before arrival. Anyone with concerns should contact the agent in advance of their visit to discuss appropriate measures. The agent may require you to arrange an appointment before visiting the premises.
- All physical viewings where prospective buyers or renters will be entering the property should involve no more than 2 households inside the property at any one time. This includes any agent accompanying either party. Anyone in a support bubble with either household, however, will count as part of that household.
- Where prospective buyers who are currently from separate households wish to view the property on the same occasion, we advise that one household leaves the property to allow the other to enter. This allows for both households to view the property and ensures social distancing.
- Viewings should be arranged by appointment only and ‘open house’ viewings should not take place. When viewing properties in person, you should avoid touching surfaces wherever possible, wash your hands regularly and/or use hand sanitiser. If you need to be accompanied by small children, you should try to keep them from touching surfaces and ensure they wash their hands regularly.
- We recommend that you vacate your property while viewings are taking place in order to minimise unnecessary contact.
- Anyone involved in any aspect of the home-moving process should practice social distancing in line with public health advice.
- When moving between properties, you and those in your household should try to do as much of the packing yourself as you can. Where this is not possible, you should speak to removal firms in advance.All of the above is subject to change and is just our understanding as things stand currently. We appreciate there are no doubt lots of you who are concerned what this means for you and your house move. Firstly, we are here and available to talk through any worries or concerns you have. We have spoken with our conveyancing partners today and with the previsions they took in the initial lockdown, they are set up and ready to work through this next phased lockdown period. All cases will continue to be worked on to a conclusion with exchanges and completions still able to take place. No clarity has been given currently on whether you will be required to exchange and complete on the same day as was a requirement in the first lockdown period so we will continue to update you if anything changes regarding the rules around this.We have reached out to some removal companies over the weekend who have availability over the next 4/6 weeks so if you are concerned around securing a removal company, we are in a position to assist you with this so don’t hesitate to contact us if you are concerned about this.Currently we have no indication to what this new lockdown means for the stamp duty holiday and whether it will be extended past the March 31st deadline. For clients who are yet to receive an offer on their homes and understandably worried what all this means, rest assured, we will continue to seek out the right buyer for your home.
So as I write this on Monday morning, its business as usual. My expectation is the property market will remain open albeit activity in person ie viewings will reduce significantly. As mentioned above, we already have taken steps to ensure every home on the market has its own 360 degree online viewing in addition to a video presentation so we are in a good position to manage any prospective buyers in the interim period.
Being able to work in a safe and responsible fashion for all concerned remains the priority and we have taken all the necessary steps and precautions to ensure we are able to manage this new lockdown transition period with as little disruption to you as possible.
Most importantly stay safe and if you need anything from us, the team and I are on hand for you so don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to talk anything through.
