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Housing ministry confirms Leicester lockdown exempts house moves and estate agents

MHCLG official contacts senior industry figures to say that new Covid restrictions in the city do not apply to housing market.

Nigel Lewis

leicester

The Ministry of Housing, Local Government and Communities (MHCLG) has confirmed that the health protection regulations published this afternoon to cover Leicester’s lockdown do not prevent home moves, require agents to close their branches or stop viewings.

This afternoon a senior civil servant from the ministry wrote to industry leaders to reassure them that the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) Regulations 2020 make it clear that ‘there will be no additional restrictions placed on moving home’.

“Agents must however, adhere to the existing Regulations and Propertymark Best Practice guidance on house viewings, moves and maintenance in order to avoid being subject to far more stringent restrictions,” a statement from Propertymark says.

The MHCLG update also expands on the lockdown regulations, saying: “People in Leicester (pictured, above) will still be allowed to leave home to move and also to leave home to facilitate a house move,” the statement says.

It goes on to confirm that both agents and landlords will be able to continue to support people when they move home as long as they take all the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infection.

The guidance from MHCLG is important because, as well as giving information to home movers, landlords and agents in Leicester, it points to future ‘flare up’ lockdowns also continuing to allow homes moves.

Housing minister Christopher Pincher recently explained why the property industry is being given special treatment, revealing that it employs 2.3 million and was a major contributor to GDP.

Read the Leicester regulations in full.

July 3, 2020

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