Government Home Valuation Guidance for Surveyors

Guidance for surveyors and workers whose jobs involve them entering people’s homes has been issued by the Government on working safely during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) prepared the guide and will apply to employed and self-employed workers.  The guide contains details on how staff should carry out their work safely and asks employers to carry out risk assessments.

Guidance on employee safety:

• Frequent hand washing, surface cleaning, where possible keep activity to a minimum
• Anyone isolating due to Covid-19 symptoms, no work should be carried out in their home
• Face-to-face contact should be avoided for people in the vulnerable category
• Employers have further responsibilities for disabled employers or new and expectant mums.
• Clinically vulnerable workers are advised not to work outside of the home
• The Government want workers that need to travel to work to use their own transport where insurance permits.
• Vehicles must have working windows to allow ventilation and must be cleaned regular.
• When employees enter homes, they must wash their hands and keep to the social distancing rule
• Internal doors must be kept open where possible to minimise contact with door handles and movement in tight spaces.

Comment

We suggest this will put house moves and the property market back in business.  That said, as with all employers the onus is still on them to ensure the right safety measures are taken to protect staff, buyers and sellers.