The government has issued guidance for people who are buying, selling or renting their homes.
The guidance appears to be oriented towards house purchases and sales but it clearly applies to rentals too.
The advice is that where possible, buyers and renters should delay moving to a new house while measures are in place to fight the pandemic. This is especially so if the property they are moving to is occupied. However, where the move is unavoidable for contractual reasons and the parties are unable to reach an agreement to delay then social distancing measures should be applied during the move. Where anyone has symptoms, is self-isolating or shielding any move should be put on hold and an agreement reached for an alternative move date. If the property being moved into is unoccupied then it can go ahead if it cannot be delayed but social distancing measures must be applied to everyone involved including removal firms, agents, and lawyers.
Estate and letting agents should not be viewing properties for sale or rent, either themselves or with prospective buyers or tenants as this would violate social distancing guidance. Third party visitors such as EPC assessors should also not be permitted into these properties. Where contact is necessary it should be over the telephone or other online media including virtual viewings of properties which are already on the market.
Disclaimer
The contents of this blog post is not legal advice and is provided for general information purposes only. If legal advice is needed readers should contact a solicitor. No responsibility for any information contained within this post is accepted and PainSmith solicitors accepts no liability in respect of the contents or for action taken based on this post.
Published 3 April 2020
