National Lockdown Update: Can you move house?
Ahead of the new national lockdown taking place in England this Thursday, we’ve provided a summary of the current guidance for buying and selling homes.
This lockdown will come into force in England at midnight on Thursday 5th November, and is planned for 4 weeks, until Wednesday 2nd December.
The Housing Secretary has indicated that property transactions can continue as they have been, provided all parties stick to social distancing guidelines.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph and on his personal website, Robert Jenrick stated:
‘As Housing Secretary, I can confirm that the housing market will remain open throughout this period as will construction sites, building the homes and sustaining the jobs we desperately need. Tradespeople like plumbers and electricians can come into your home as long as they follow social distancing guidance.’
You can still move home and purchase property
Whether renting or buying, any transactions can still go ahead according to the Housing Secretary's announcement on social media. While this is not covered in the official guidelines released on the 31st October, it is expected this guidance will be set out in law very soon.
According to Robert Jenrick’s statement, you can also still hire removal firms, and estate agents can remain open, as will Laurus. All aspects of your transaction can go ahead, including conveyancing.
Construction and tradespeople
Construction sites are allowed to continue to operate, and it is permitted to have tradespeople in your home if you are planning renovations. Suppliers to tradespeople are also allowed to remain open.
Mortgage holidays
Mortgage holidays are no longer ending, and the FCA is due to announce further details today. It is expected mortgage holidays will be extended for up to 6 months. You should not contact your lender just yet, until the FCA guidance is released, which will be found here.
Self-isolating or showing symptoms
The government has yet to readdress moving home in the new guidelines, but previous guidelines have stated that if you have to self-isolate, you should seek to delay your move if at all possible. In this circumstance there are several ways we can help to manage expectations on both sides of the transaction to enable you to move forward successfully when no longer isolating. You can read the full guidelines here.
While these guidelines stress the changing nature of estate agent and conveyancing services, we want to reassure our clients that we are fully operational and able to take instructions remotely, with full support for our clients at this challenging time.
