Well, it’s been a few days now since Boris took his podium and laid out the roadmap for the lockdown going forward. And in addition to the easing of other lockdown restrictions like sunbathing in parks or meeting with one of your parents in a park at a 2-metre distance (we’re feeling a bit of a park theme here), the most exciting change for us is that the English housing market has been allowed to reopen. However, it won’t look the same as it did before. Across the country estate agents just like us are working around the clock to put safety measures in place to protect everyone and getting used to a brand new way of working. So, what will a new, socially distanced housing market look like?
Socially Distanced Property Viewings
One of the biggest changes you will see to the housing market is the introduction of socially distanced viewing. This might seem a bit strange, but it’s the only way we can start to show properties again while keeping everyone safe. They will work like this:
- The first property viewing will be done online, not in person. This may mean either a virtual tour of the property (if there is one), or a video call with the estate agent walking around the property, showing you around through their device.
- When a prospective buyer or tenant want to inspect the property in real life, only one household will be shown around at a time. So no stacked or simultaneous viewings.
- During viewings all internal doors should stay open, or else all window and door handles should be cleaned with disinfectant in-between each viewing. Washing facilities should be offered, towels washed after each viewing, and prospective tenants/buyers can bring their own hand sanitiser.
- Current residents are encouraged to leave the home while viewings are taking place, and return only when the estate agent gives the all-clear.
- If anyone involved in the process – either current residents or prospective buyers/tenants – are symptomatic, self-isolating or shielding, then in-person viewings should not take place at all.
- Estate agents will no longer drive people to viewings, and will stay at a 2-metre distance at all times.
- Of course, there will be no open house viewings for quite a while yet, as this would encourage groups of people to get together. So for now, this is the process we will all be following.
Buying, Selling and Renting
The reopening of the market means that you are now free to buy, sell and rent your properties again. However, you need to remain flexible, as there is still a lot of uncertainty out in the world. Government guidance states that if anyone in the household is showing symptoms of Coronavirus they should not move until their self-isolation period is over, which means there’s a much bigger risk of delays to moving dates. To combat this, legal advisers are on hand to make sure any contracts or agreements drawn up during this time are as flexible as possible, since it is no one’s fault if they are too unwell to move on the agreed date. You can also move in with someone new – with the caveat that if anyone in either household is showing symptoms, the move is delayed until the self-isolation period is over. So yes, you can make and accept offers to buy a property, or to rent one, but be prepared to be flexible during the whole process.
Moving
Along with that, you can now move your belongings as well! Which is good, because moving without them is a touch pointless. The government guidance is that when moving between properties, you and those in your household should do as much of the packing and moving yourself to minimise risk. However, we know that’s not always possible, especially with bigger households and bulky furniture. So removal firms have been authorised to operate more widely, but with some restrictions in place for safety. You will need to speak to your removal company in advance, and you will be asked to clean all of your belongings before the movers and packers handle them. You should also keep all windows and doors open, and offer washing facilities to the removals teams (but not refreshments unfortunately). Removal workers are told to practice social distancing from customers, and to operate a ‘buddy’ system so that the same pairs carry bulky furniture or equipment each time. And as always, if anyone is showing symptoms, they will not be working, so flexibility is needed here as well.
So, all in all, a bit different, but still working housing market is slowly coming back to life. At Northwood we are already conducting virtual viewings and even some in-person for keen buyers, and are taking every precaution to ensure your safety at each step. Our agents are always happy to talk over the phone or video call and answer any of your questions about the new way of working, so just get in touch to find out more.
And as always, stay safe everyone.
