Professional, Trusted, Valued

The health, safety and welfare of our staff, customers and stakeholders is paramount and accordingly, we have been amending our working practices to put in place the appropriate protocols issued by the Government of Jersey. We will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and follow any guidance issue.

The Government has today released new guidance under the Safe Exit Level 3 policy enabling the purchase, sale and rental of properties. Estate agents, Property Management Companies and Surveyors can now hold property viewings, valuations and rental inspections. Following strict government guidelines listed below.

This covers all areas of our business including those listed below;

Maillard’s Estates – Sales viewings and valuations

Voisin Hunter Lettings – Rental viewings and valuations including Social Housing

Voisin Hunter Property Management – Property inspections

MDW – Building surveys

Buckley and Co – Sales & Lettings viewings and valuations

We expect all staff to adhere to these guidelines when organising viewings, valuations and inspections and if the following guidelines can not be adhered to then the property visit should not go ahead.

Government Guidelines

This guidance sets out ways in which such businesses can operate whilst reducing the risk of the spread of COVID-19.

Note that this guidance is in addition to the general guidance that applies to all businesses opening at the current time.

Property viewings, valuations and rental inspections

When planning and carrying out property viewings, valuations or rental inspections the following conditions should be met.

• the prospective customer should pre-register with the business providing all contact details
• all relevant parties (agent, property owner, property occupier, purchaser, surveyor etc) should provide a declaration to the business that they are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19
• the property visit cannot be carried out if any property occupier is isolating either because they have COVID-19, are symptomatic, or are shielding because they are severely vulnerable to COVID-19. The business is responsible for confirming this prior to the property visit
• all property visits should be carried out at an appointed time by one business representative only
• businesses should hold a log of all property visits undertaken
• not more than one agent and two vendors or purchasers (adults only) will be present at any one property visit
• the viewing will be deemed to be part of the customer’s permitted time outside the house and the total permitted contacts from outside their household in line with the Government of Jersey guidance
• viewings should be undertaken at an empty property wherever possible. Where this is not possible the viewing should coincide with the usual occupant’s permitted time outside the house in line with the Government of Jersey guidance
• the property owner is responsible for cleaning the premises before the visit – as a minimum this must include the cleaning of surfaces that are regularly touched, and those which the agent will have to touch, such as door handles and light switches
• the property owner should open all appropriate doors and cupboards prior to the viewing
• paper copies of the property details should not be supplied to potential purchasers

All necessary precautions should be taken during the viewing including:

• maintaining a physical distance of 2 metres with those outside your household at all times
• sanitising hands on arrival and departure, with the business responsible for providing hand sanitiser at the entrance to the property
• customers should be advised not to touch anything
• the business’s representative should wear gloves and try to ensure that only they touch surfaces, including door handles and light switches
• the business’s representative should clean anything that it has been necessary to touch with disinfectant wipes as they move around the property
• viewings should be no more than twenty minutes
• wearing of cloth face masks is encouraged

It is the responsibility of the business to ensure that their customers are made aware of the above conditions and that they adhere to them.

IF IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ADHERE TO THE ABOVE CONDITIONS, THEN THE PROPERTY VISIT SHOULD NOT GO AHEAD.

OPEN VIEWINGS AND BACK TO BACK VIEWINGS ARE NOT PERMITTED.

FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, THE ABOVE APPLIES TO VENDORS, PURCHASERS, TENANTS, OCCUPIERS AND AGENTS