Guidance has been published outlining how professionals are to deal with house moves following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The pandemic is having a substantial impact on those professionals whose work involves direct contact with clients and the public and this is especially the case in relation to those clients who are involved in house moves or who are occupiers and tenants. As a result, significant delays are being experienced.
The guidance, which has been produced by the Law Society in conjunction with other groups within the industry including the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, the British Association of Removers and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, aims to provide professionals with information to enable them to complete house moves while maintaining safety as social distancing measures are eased in line with government guidelines.
The guidance is relevant to:
- property agents,
- lenders,
- mortgage advisers,
- property lawyers/conveyancers,
- surveyors,
- energy assessors,
- property managers,
- home removal, and
- associated professionals such as contractors involved in property development, management and the home moving process.
The guidance focuses on physical contact points in the home moving process whereby professionals delivering services will need to come into contact with people and/or enter private residential properties.
Consumer guidance on safe home moving to ensure clarity, transparency and a smooth process for all parties has also been produced, whilst sector-specific guidance is being finalised and will be published in due course.
The guidance can be found as follows:
The industry guidance: Re-opening the Home Moving Market Safely (PDF 798 KB)
The consumer guidance: Guidance on Safe Home Moving (PDF 396 KB)
The government has also produced “Government advice on home moving during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak“.