The government has confirmed England’s lockdown laws will end as planned on 19 July, but there will now be a whole host of guidance agents are required to follow.
The one month delay to step 4 of the government’s Roadmap has also moved the end of restrictions closer to the school summer holidays.
The Prime Minister yesterday emphasised caution and the expectation for a gradual easing of restrictions, based on informed choice and personal responsibility. Last week he set out a five-point plan to manage the risks while learning to live with covid.
Following updates from the prime minister and secretary of state for health and social care about the Roadmap yesterday, Propertymark updated its guidance for agents.
The largest changes come from the number of tasks which no longer need to be carried out remotely as there will be no continued requirement to work from home and employers can start to plan a return to workplaces.
And whilst no social distancing is required between staff, Propertymark says “businesses should consider the risks. If anyone develops COVID-19 symptoms, they should self-isolate immediately and get a PCR test, even if the symptoms are mild”.
Propertymark have also tackled the tricky subject of face coverings, saying, “Face coverings will not be legally required but they are advisory for agents and clients. It is important that agents are sensitive to vulnerabilities and anxieties that clients and staff alike may have.”
Boris Johnson said yesterday that the government “expect and recommend that people wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you come into contact with those you don’t normally meet”.
The updated guidance also states that, “No viewing should take place if any person in a property is showing symptoms of Coronavirus or self-isolating”.
The government will review the current guidance in September.
Propertymark members can view the full guidance by clicking here.
Interested to hear from other owners/managers – what are your policy ideas on face coverings for viewings etc? I can’t quite get my head around it so will be interested to hear what others are thinking at the moment.
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I will be keeping mine on for viewings, but should say I am choosing to wear it in all crowded places, e.g. shops and public transport.
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Me too aSalesAgent! It’s of course going to come down to personal choice after the 19th… but think it’s the right one for me/my business.
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I guess the tricky question is whether we should be requesting/insisting that viewers (or vendors) also wear theirs. It seems logical for us to make the personal choice to wear it’s whether we should have a policy that we ask others to as well? I know some of my vendors will want people viewing their house to wear masks so it is a case of whether we should establish the individual preferences of our vendors and set bespoke policies for each property or whether logistically that is too complicated and a blanket policy is the simplest solution…
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We will ask owner-occupiers at instruction if they want to ‘opt-in’ to requiring viewers/surveyors wear a face covering. Where a property is tenanted, we will likely ask viewers to wear a mask until we know the tenant’s preference.
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We are planning to still ask visitors to the office to wear a mask and sanitise their hands when entering and leaving the office. I also plan to wear a mask on appointments when I am indoors, and will request viewers do so as well. The only difference is that we will not be enforcing it as we have been, simply requesting.
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Each to their own, but I won’t be putting anymore barriers up to business. If someone insist on masks then that’s fair enough.
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