In a bid to help reduce Covid spread, the UK government issues, and updates, an ‘exception list’ of countries from which travellers arriving in the UK are exempted from the need to quarantine in self-isolation for 14 days.

Arriving from a country NOT on the list means quarantine rules must be followed.

Paul Offley, Compliance Officer at The Guild of Property Professionals, says that when agents are going through their health checklist and are asking clients, buyers and tenants their Covid-19 related questions, they will need to ask whether the person has recently returned from one of the countries not on the UK exception list.

If the person has returned from one of the countries not on the exception list, it doesn’t mean that agents cannot deal with that person, it simply means that all interaction should be virtual until after the allotted 14-day self-isolation period has lapsed.

If an estate or lettings agent has a staff member that has returned from a non-exempt conutry they should be made to work at home. “Estate and lettings agents should be aware of where their staff members are travelling to on holiday to ensure the appropriate procedures are followed on their return to ensure the safety of both other staff members in the office and, of course, the public who visit the office,” says Offley.

“Until Covid-19 is completely eradicated, estate and lettings agents need to ensure that they have the tools and procedures in place to revert back to working from home and conducting their business virtually, whether that be due to travel-related self-isolation or a possible regional lockdown.

“While the country as a whole may not be put back into lockdown, as we have already seen, the Government is prepared to implement region lockdowns in areas that see increased infection rates. They key is to be ready and have a plan in place should your business need to switch from physical appointments to virtual ones,” Offley concludes.

As of yesterday this is the list of exceptions:

People need to self-isolate if they visited or made a transit stop in a country or territory that is not on the list in the 14 days before arrival in England.

Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Barbados
Bermuda
Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba
British Antarctic Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei (added 11 August – if you arrived in England from Brunei before 11 August, you will need to self–isolate)
Cayman Islands
the Channel Islands
Croatia
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Estonia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Polynesia
Gibraltar
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
the Isle of Man
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Macao (Macau)
Malaysia (added 11 August – if you arrived in England from Malaysia before 11 August, you will need to self–isolate)
Malta
Mauritius
Monaco
Montserrat
the Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Norway
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
Poland
Reunion
San Marino
Seychelles
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
St Barthélemy
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre and Miquelon
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Switzerland
Taiwan
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Turks and Caicos Islands
Vatican City State
Vietnam