Boris Warns Of Premature Exit But Agents Return Important

Boris Warns Of Premature Exit But Agents Return Important

Boris Johnson was warned the public that the UK is at maximum risk of a second spike in Covid-19 if social distancing restrictions are relaxed too soon.

In his first official speech as prime minister since being hospitalised for Covid-19 himself, Mr Johnson sympathised with business-owners desperate to return to work but claimed prematurely relaxing restrictions will lead to more deaths and increased ‘economic disaster.’

The property sector has spent a lot of time considering the benefits of unlocking estate agents by ensuring they are amongst the first wave of businesses released from lockdown in recent weeks following a recently leaked Westminster report which placed them amongst the businesses considered economic multipliers.

The UK’s residential and commercial property sector is worth more than £100 billion to the UK economy, employing more than a million people and supporting a million more businesses in the sector including conveyancers, surveyors, developers and removal firms.

The recent call to action from estate agents follows an open letter sent to the government by The Guild, asking them to release estate agents in the first wave.

Daniel Galati, Mullucks managing director, commented:

“The safety of our staff and the wider public would need to be our first consideration. However, once restrictions are lifted, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t be able to practice social distancing effectively – whether it’s in our offices, on valuations or on viewings.

“Estate agency is a business which has one of the widest potential impacts as an economic revival ‘multiplier’, but with minimal risk of spreading infection among the population further. Once we can get back to work, then builders, surveyors, solicitors and removal firms can all resume business too.

“Obviously the world is waiting for a vaccine before we know that we can get back to business as normal. And clearly, the government would also like estate agency to resume again, because of the tax receipts it would mean for the Treasury.

“I think it would be important to avoid a ‘stop-start’ economy, which would damage public morale and business confidence yet further. But until the time comes, we welcome the recommendations in this report, and are standing by, ready to step in, as and when we are allowed to do so.”

Jon Cooke, Group CEO of epropservices, parent company of The Guild and Fine & Country said:

“As the Government establishes a strategy around restarting economic activity, it is important that our industry is allowed to open, operate and transact. Our sector can play a key part in the drive to getting the economy on its feet again.

“Our emphasis during this process is to ensure that every precaution is taken to keep people safe.

“We are pushing for the industry to be able to get back to work, but it is paramount that we all follow the correct procedures to ensure everyone is protected.

“We call on the Government to act now, to review and look at estate agency as an essential service to both the public and the economy.”

Many countries are beginning to relax social distancing measures and economic restraints after passing the peak of the virus. Over the weekend, estate agents were permitted to phase their return in Guernsey. Whilst offices remain closed to the public, staff are now allowed to work in the offices and are completing up to 10 appointments per day.

Matt Brouard, owner of Cooper Brouard, informed the Guernsey Press:

“The majority of our negotiators will be working from home, but we can have someone in the office and a range of negotiators and property managers who can collect keys and those sort of things can come and go from the office.

“We have to keep a detailed log of what we’re doing and who the people are we are meeting because Public Health is very interested in being able to trace who we have been in contact if there was a case [involving] people or the properties we work with.

“Only one of our negotiators can attend a viewing and they will be wearing surgical gloves that will be disposed of afterwards. The idea is that the owners would leave doors open as much as they could and keep the properties well ventilated.

“If a house has been vacant for more than seven days it will be more straightforward, but if it’s been inhabited and anyone in the household has had symptoms in the last 48 hours we couldn’t do a visit.”

If and when the government relax current restrictions preventing estate agents from working, many believe that traditional ways of working may not return.

According to a survey of 6,500 agents conducted by Raynor Personnel, only a third of respondents want to resume operating in the ways they did pre-lockdown.

Now that many companies have introduced measures to allow remote working, over a fifth (22 per cent) would like to continue working from home with flexible working now considered important.

6 per cent of respondents are actively looking to leave the sector with an additional 14 per cent concerned by a perceived lack of job security in the current climate.

Agents believe they can learn from other countries social distancing measures introduced by estate agents post-lockdown. With some reports suggesting the sector has passed its lowest point in recent weeks, releasing agents and unblocking the clogged pipeline of activity could ensure a swifter economic recovery for a sector frozen by governmental restrictions and a perceived slow response in executing the UK’s exit strategy.

 

 

 

 

Martin Parrin

Martin is a Senior Content Writer for Today’s Conveyancer, Today’s Wills and Probate, Today’s Legal Cyber Risk and Today's Family Lawyer Having qualified as a teacher, Martin previously worked as a Secondary English Teacher that responsible for Head of Communications. After recently returning to the North West from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, Martin has left teaching to start a career in writing and pursue his lifelong passion with the written word.

1 Comment

  • Would it not be better to require estate agents to prepare sales thoroughly before they re-open to reduce abortive sales?

    And let energy surveyors etc decide when it is safe to first go into houses. As the man has indicated false starts re-releasing the pestilence is the last thing we want.

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