CORONAVIRUS - what steps are we taking to protect you?

---

The current situation surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic is a serious one which is costing lives and it would be irresponsible for us to continue as normal. Since the country went into lock down on the 23rd of March 2020 we have been operating via restricted services. This pandemic has presented a number of significant challenges to all industries recently and the property sector is no different... We have endeavoured to maintain our service standards throughout, utilising innovation and creative thinking from within our global network to the benefit of our buyers and sellers, while also maintaining our  health and safety responsibilities as an organisation.  

We are reviewing the situation on a regular basis with a view to improve services wherever possible while also minimising disruption to our buyers and sellers without jeopardising anyone's individual safety. Our absolute priority is the good health of our staff and the general public. With this in mind, a summary of our amended services and guidelines are outlined below. 

All of our consultants in the field now carry appropriate items of PPE that help to significantly limit their physical interaction with both our clients and the property we work with (where a physical visit is applicable). 

Disposable shoe coverings will be worn to enter property and will be safely disposed of after exit, anti-bacterial hand gel will also be used before entering any property and once again after vacating. Each consultant will also have access to disposable gloves, antibacterial spray and wipes should they be needed. 

Each consultant MUST also wear a face mask which we supply and maintain a minimum safe distance of two metres between themselves and any other individual(s) at all times, we also advise our buyers and sellers to wear their own where possible.

Please note that a maximum of two individuals are permitted to enter any property with one of our consultants at any one time. This does mean that open house events are no longer permitted until further notice.

If any individual has concerns about a physical viewing, we will look at alternative appointment methods for you. 

If any member of the Rosedale and Jones team begin to show symptoms of Coronavirus, or indeed feels that they may have been exposed to someone with concerning symptoms, then that individual will not be permitted to work in the field for a minimum period of 14 days followed by a review before returning to normal duties and will be asked to self isolate during this time.

We ask that all buyers and sellers inform us immediately if they are experiencing symptoms themselves, or are worried after a potential exposure to someone else with symptoms (or a positive COVID test). If informed prior to an appointment, we can consider alternative options for your requirements, however if any individual is concerned about visible symptoms during an appointment our staff reserve the right to reschedule. We ask that all staff, buyers and sellers remain alert and if you have any concerns relating to potential Coronavirus related symptoms (see NHS guidance for further details) please speak up immediately. 

It's a legal requirement that certain items of documentation are provided by both buyers and sellers before a property transaction can take place. This can be problematic at the best of times and is even more difficult during a global pandemic where physical interaction is severely limited.

We have made some changes to help streamline our processes as much as possible. These changes help us to keep people safe by minimising physical interactions and allow the required administrative processes to move forward with an individuals purchase or sale without difficulty. A wide range of digital services have now been put into place ranging from presentations, viewings and valuations to document signing, anti money laundering (AML) certifications and mortgage/legal quotations.  

We are able to send out a consultant to physically conduct the appointment in a manner that is similar to normal circumstances as per the updated Government guidance posted on the 5th of May 2020 (and reaffirmed on the 4th of January 2021), however, there are some important changes to consider. We must now use appropriate PPE and implement additional safety procedures which enables us to conduct this type of appointment. 

We ask the seller to ensure that their property is clean and safe for access before our arrival. This includes 'propping' open all doors in advance to help us minimise any physical interaction between the property and our staff. We advise that the seller also takes some time to wipe down all door handles with anti-bacterial spray or wipes in advance of our visit.

Our consultant will arrive as planned. Please accept our apologies, but no physical contact is permitted at the moment (no handshakes). The seller will then kindly wait outside (weather permitting) or in a specific room while the consultant walks around the property and conducts their inspection, following our protective measures and wearing the appropriate PPE as mentioned above at all times.

The part of our visit which requires a personal consultation with the seller can then take place either inside a dedicated room where the seller is waiting, outside the property (while maintaining social distancing rules) or via conference call at a later time (which should be scheduled in advance). Please note that if the consultation takes place within the property on the day, our staff may not sit down or touch anything during this period to serve as an extra precaution against infection. 

 Where a property is currently occupied, there is an increased risk of infection compared to that of a vacant property. As such, all parties reserve the right to conduct the appointment via digital means as an alternative method if preferred.

What is involved with a 'virtual appointment'? 

One of our consultants will set up this type of appointment for the seller via use of our conference calling software (ZOOM - free to download). Confirmation of the booking will be sent out along with joining instructions for the video call. Any initial questions that the seller may have will be dealt with before the call.

During the call, our consultant will ask the seller to show them around the property using a camera phone, asking questions and guiding them around the areas that need to be inspected as the appointment progresses. This process is not ideal of course, however we are finding that where a seller has a stable broadband connection (ideally fibre optic), it is still possible to conduct the appointment to a required professional standard and this process is continually being upgraded.

After completing a 'walk around' of the property our consultant will work through the remaining information with the seller by sharing an online presentation which is specific to their property. Please note that we advise all sellers to log out of the call on their mobile phone after the 'walk around' and switch over to a laptop or desktop computer (where possible).

Where a property is vacant, one of our consultants will book the viewing appointment with the buyer in a normal way.  The appointment itself will differ somewhat though and we are taking all reasonable steps to protect our buyers by implementing the following procedures:

We will arrive early for the appointment and prepare the property so that it is safe to enter. All of our consultants in the field will carry appropriate items of PPE which significantly limits their own physical interaction with both the buyer and the property itself.  

Disposable shoe coverings will be worn and provided to the buyer (while observing a minimum safety distance of two metres) before entering the property and will be safely disposed of after exit. Anti-bacterial hand gel will  be used before entering the property and once again after vacating (we do recommend that buyers bring their own if possible). Each of our consultants will have access to disposable gloves, antibacterial spray and wipes if needed and will take the time to make sure that all doors are moved into an open position and handles are cleaned so that our buyers do not need to touch anything during their visit, buyers can simply dispose of their shoe covers as they leave while washing their hands again with anti-bacterial gel. 

Each consultant MUST wear a supplied face mask and maintain a minimum safe distance of two metres between any other individuals at all times and we advise buyers to wear their own face coverings where possible. If you have any concerns relating to a physical viewing please inform us prior to the appointment and we will look at alternative appointment methods for you, we are also offering virtual viewings for all properties where requested.

Offers of purchase are being accepted by sellers and in many cases transactions are completing as normal, albeit with some delays. Our team are on hand to support buyers and sellers through this process as normal.

  The risk of infection is considered to be higher where viewings are taking place in an occupied property. Due to Government guidance posted on the 12th of May 2020 (and on the 4th of January 2021) we are now able to conduct physical viewings within an occupied property, subject to the implementation of strict safety procedures and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment.

We ask the seller to ensure that their property is clean and safe for access prior to the appointment start time. This includes 'propping' open all doors in advance of our arrival so to help us minimise any physical interaction with the property. We advise that the seller also takes some time to wipe down all door handles with antibacterial spray or wipes in advance of our visit. 

 Our consultant will arrive as planned. Please accept our apologies, but no physical contact is permitted at the moment (no handshakes). The seller will then kindly vacate the property for the full duration of the appointment. All Rosedale and Jones consultants MUST follow our protective measures and wear the appropriate PPE supplied (as mentioned above) to help reduce any physical interaction with the property, the seller and/or the buyer.

Upon the buyers arrival, disposable shoe coverings will be provided before entering the property and will be safely disposed of after exit while maintaining a minimum safe distance of two metres at all times. Anti-bacterial hand gel will  be used before entering the property and once again after vacating. We do recommend that buyers bring their own anti-bacterial hand gel if possible, however we will provide this during the appointment if needed. Each of our consultants will also have access to disposable gloves, antibacterial spray and wipes if needed. Our consultant will take the time to make absolutely certain that all doors are moved into an open position and handles are cleaned so that our buyers do not need to touch anything during their visit, buyers can simply dispose of their shoe covers as they leave while washing their hands again with anti-bacterial gel. Each consultant MUST wear a supplied face mask during the appointment and maintain a minimum safe distance of two metres between any other individuals at all times. We also advise buyers to wear their own face coverings where possible. 

If you have any concerns relating to a physical viewing please inform us prior to the appointment and we will look at alternative appointment methods for you, we are also offering virtual viewings for all properties upon request.

What is involved with a 'virtual viewing'?

Where applicable, one of our consultants will arrange for footage of the property to be created which provides a full walk through with professional commentary and full 360 degree virtual tours are being offered (where possible). Our team will send the video to a specific buyer via an access link (and possibly a walk through via the internet), followed by a call the next day to answer any outstanding questions and to collect feedback for the seller.

 Offers of purchase are being accepted by sellers and in many cases transactions are completing as normal, albeit with some delays. Our team are on hand to support buyers and sellers through this process as normal.