Buying a home and moving during coronavirus

As the number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases are on the rise again, I thought it would be useful to share links to the websites that we used for COVID-19 guidance when buying a property. Please note, the below guidance was relevant at the time that we moved, please check latest guidance for more information.

GOV.UK: Government advice on home moving during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

This has guidance for the whole property buying process, from preparation to moving home!

The Law Society: Guidance on safe home moving

 

I have previously written about how COVID-19 impacted our flat purchase, so today I’ll talk more about our experience of moving home during a global pandemic. 

We collected our keys during the first peak and we were lucky to have the flexibility of moving a month later when we saw the number of daily cases were declining.

                                                     Source: BBC

I remember having conversations every few days with hubby at the time on deciding when we would move, especially as the restrictions were being eased and we were worried there might be a second wave if we continued to wait. 

In the end, we moved the weekend before the non-essential retail shops reopened. 

Moving homes is stressful enough but having to think about what other preparation was needed because of coronavirus just made it even more stressful.

Here are a few tips following our experience:

1. Remember to ask the removal company what COVID-19 safety procedures they have in place and have face masks to offer to them in case they are not wearing one. 

Previously, we had other service providers in the flat during COVID-19 and they said they would have personal protective equipment but when they arrived, they were not wearing any.

2. Check the number of people arriving.

We were in a one bed flat so we wanted to check we had sufficient room to social distance (we tried to stay in a different room where possible) when the removal company arrived.

Previously when we organised professional cleaning for the flat during COVID-19, we didn’t think to check the number of cleaners arriving.  When three people arrived to clean the flat, there were cleaners in each room and so we couldn’t stay in a separate room as planned and it felt quite crowded. In the end, we left the flat and returned when the cleaning had finished.

3. Wear a face mask and have hand sanitiser easily accessible

For our top 10 tips for moving home, please see this post!

Other useful links:

I have also found some other useful links since we moved so sharing the links below:

HomeOwners Alliance: Buying and selling a home during coronavirus

OnTheMarket: Coronavirus clauses in home buying contracts explained

Take care and stay safe!

Jess