Property appointments with Dawsons during the COVID19 crisis

We politely ask for your kind cooperation in respect of the following procedures at your confirmed viewing:

• Please advise our negotiator prior to the appointment if you or anyone in your household has had or been exposed to COVID-19 or is showing any symptoms which we need to be aware of.

• Sellers, landlords, or tenants in situ are to sanitise all doors handles prior to the viewing and on completion of the viewing, to ensure the safety of you and our vendor client, in the event door handles are inadvertently touched.

• A negotiator from Dawsons will arrive in ample time to open up the property, to include all doors to avoid the viewer touching any door handles. 

• We will be carrying hand sanitizer and the viewer will be required to use it prior to entry.

• We require all viewers to wear gloves and a face mask over their nose and mouth as these will NOT be provided by Dawsons.  You do not require a medical-grade mask.

• A maximum of 2 people who must be from the same household (currently living together) will be allowed to view the property. We respectfully ask that children are not present at the viewing.

• A 2-meter distance is to be maintained and the viewer is kindly requested to follow the agent around the property and not to enter any rooms until invited to do so by the agent.

• Viewing times will be restricted depending upon the size of the property.

• Please note that we will be asking more qualifying questions when making an appointment, and once again on the day when confirming it.

We hope that you appreciate the measures we are required to put in place to ensure your safety and well-being and that of our employees and clients.

You can download our policies:

Covid19 Viewing Procedures PLEASE READ
Covid19 Valuation Procedures PLEASE READ

Here are our Health and Safety Measures in full to ensure strict social distancing regulations as set out by the Government’s Ministry of Housing.

Ensuring the health and safety of our employees and clients remains our absolute priority.

We have implemented changes to our processes and how our teams operate to ensure that we safeguard our workforce, clients and everyone else we come into contact with, whilst carrying out our daily business to ensure that we are not increasing the risk of a second round of the virus and a further lockdown.

The following sections outline our secure working practices.

OUR PEOPLE
For when our employees return to work, we will check on the health of each member of our team to establish they are healthy and they will be required to complete a health assessment form. Any member of staff who falls within or who lives with someone who falls within the high risk ‘extremely vulnerable’ or any staff member who falls within the moderate risk ‘vulnerable’ groups will have a personalised risk assessment to ensure appropriate protective measures are in place before they are permitted to return to work. As part of our morning meetings, we will carry out a daily check with every individual to ensure no health conditions have changed.

OUR OFFICES
Before our staff return, all our offices will have undergone a deep clean. This will include kitchens along with all appliances, staff rooms, toilets, and all communal areas.  We have purchased an ample supply of hand-gel, anti-bacterial wipes and sprays, soap, tissues, and paper towels. We will ensure these are readily available on each desk for staff, visitors, and customers to use.  We will have a regular cleaning routine throughout the day and this will include: desks, chair arms, keyboards, mouse, screens, staplers, pens, photocopier controls, drawer handles, phones, mobile phones, key cabinets, filing cabinets, door handles, light switches, and card machines where we
take card payments. All property for sale/to let keys are sprayed with antibacterial spray after use.

We have placed hygiene notices in all our branches to include toilets, kitchens, staff rooms, and communal areas reminding all staff, clients, and visitors of handwashing especially on return from viewings and all external appointments. Sanitisers are available in any area where washing facilities not readily available. Our branch layouts have been altered to accommodate the 2-meter social distancing rule for staff, clients, and contractors. We have designated desks where we have installed screens to be used for talking to all clients, visitors, and contractors. We have notices placed on those desks to ensure they are cleaned down after each use to include chair arms, mouse, and key-boards.

Our staff desks have been placed to ensure a minimum of 2 meters distant between each desk if this is not practical due to the size of some branches, staff will work diagonally or side by side ensuring the 2-meter distance rule. We will mark out the floor space with signage and tape to ensure all visitors keep to the 2-meter rule. Our office doors will remain locked and we will operate a ‘by appointment’ policy for clients, visitors, and contractors to our offices. We are limiting the number of visitors to one party of two people at any one time. It is possible some of our branches will be operating on slightly reduced or varied hours as we ease out of lockdown. However, our staff is contactable by phone or email in that event, and on the usual contact numbers and email addresses.

Working schedules will be continually under review including start & finish times/shift patterns, working from home and the like, to reduce the number of staff in our offices at any one time. Visitors, clients, and contractors will not be permitted to use the toilet facilities in our offices. Fleet and Company car drivers – Staff is not permitted to carry anyone outside of their family in their vehicle. At the end of each day and after final appointments, cars will be wiped down with antibacterial wipes to include the steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake, and all other controls.

VALUATION APPOINTMENTS

We will ask if any party is showing symptoms of COVID-19 or has been asked to self-isolate before going ahead with any appointment. Our valuers, negotiators, and property inspectors will have sanitised their hands or we are wearing gloves together with wearing face coverings and shoe coverings before entering a property.  Sellers and Landlords will be kindly requested to sanitise all door handles and wear appropriate face masks for the duration of the appointment.  We don’t wish to offend any of our clients by not shaking hands or accepting a hot or cold drink, that they may be kind enough to offer.

Sellers and Landlords will be kindly requested to open all internal and external doors so the valuer can walk freely around the property avoiding having to touch any door handles.

We will kindly request where feasible only the legal owners attend our appointment.

Sellers and Landlords will be kindly requested to vacate the property whilst we are conducting our appraisal. If this is not practical, a 2-meter distance must be maintained, however, we respectfully ask that sellers/landlords do not follow the agent around the property.

We require tenants of properties in either single or multi occupation to vacate their rooms and/or property leaving all internal doors open.

Appraisal discussions are to be conducted either outside of the home, for example in the garden at a safe distance, or alternatively via a follow-up online meeting (for example, FaceTime, Zoom, Skype) at the seller or landlord’s convenience.

Upon leaving a property our agents will safely dispose of their gloves and use hand gel to sanitise their hands and wipe any equipment used during the visit with antibacterial wipes.

On returning to the office we request our agents wash their hands with soap and hot water before doing anything else – there will be ample signs in all offices as a reminder to our staff.

VIEWINGS OF PROPERTIES FOR SALE OR TO LET

We will ask if any party is showing symptoms of COVID-19 or has been asked to self-isolate before going ahead with any appointment.  We encourage buyers or prospective tenants to view properties virtually in the first instance, and only physically visit properties which they have a strong interest in.  Sellers/Landlords/Tenants are kindly requested to sanitise all door handles prior to the viewing and on completion of the viewing.

Sellers/Landlords/Tenants living at the property are to vacate the property for 30 mins, that can either be in the garden or perhaps for a short walk or to pop out to the local shops.

Our agent will arrive in ample time to open up the property, to include all internal and external doors to avoid the viewer touching any door handles. We will carry hand sanitizer, and the viewer will be required to use it prior to entry if they are not carrying their own (However, we do not accept any liability).

We require all viewers to wear an appropriate face mask (these will NOT be provided by Dawsons) We are not requiring this be a medical-grade mask.

A maximum of 2 people who must be from the same household (currently living together) will be allowed to view the property. We respectfully ask that children are not present at the viewing.

Viewings will be restricted to a maximum of 30 minutes dependant on the size of the property.

We kindly request the viewer(s) not to touch any door handles, or open any cupboards, storage areas, and the like.

A 2-meter distance is to be maintained and the viewer is kindly requested to follow the agent around the property, and not to enter any rooms until invited to do so by the agent.

Buyer or prospective tenant interest will be determined after each viewing outside of the property, discussions will be made at a safe 2-meter distance whenever possible.

Once the viewing has taken place, homeowners or tenants in occupation should ensure surfaces, such as door handles, etc are sanitised.

Upon leaving a property our agents will safely dispose of their gloves and use hand gel to sanitise their hands and wipe any equipment used during the visit with antibacterial wipes

If the property is vacant and we are using a key to gain access, keys are to be sanitised before replacing it back in the key cabinet.

PREPARING AND MEASURING A PROPERTY FOR SALE OR TO LET

We will ask if any party is showing symptoms of COVID-19 or has been asked to self-isolate before going ahead with any appointment.

We will have sanitised our hands and will be wearing face coverings together with shoe coverings before entering a property, and kindly request the seller/landlord/tenant sanitises all door handles and wears an appropriate face mask.

Sellers/landlords and tenants are kindly requested not to follow the agent around the property and to ensure all internal and external doors are left open, for our agent to walk freely around the property whilst they take measurements of all rooms, together with photographs and preparations for the virtual tour.

We would kindly request where feasible only the sellers, landlord, or if applicable the occupying tenant attend our appointment.

We kindly request the seller/landlord or tenant vacates the property whilst we are preparing your marketing details, or if this is not practicable to an appropriately ventilated room which allows a 2-meter distance.

PROPERTY INVENTORIES AND SCHEDULE OF CONDITION REPORTS

In relation to property inventories before a tenant takes up occupation, we ask that ALL keys that are made available in advance so that they can be included in the inventory, and that they are sanitised before being provided.

We ask that the property is thoroughly cleaned before we conduct the inventory, that ALL personal items (of the landlord or a previous tenant) are removed from the property, any outbuildings, or garages, and that all internal doors are left open in preparation for our arrival.

Properties will be visited in order to complete the inventory no sooner than 72 hours after the date the property was last occupied either by the landlord or a previous tenant, to ensure that guidance and recommendations are followed and that the property and all surfaces are at a greatly reduced risk of COVID-19. This is in the interest of the safety of our staff, and any contractors that we would have visited the property depending on findings during our inventory, and points that need addressing before a tenant’s occupation.

PROPERTY INSPECTIONS AND VACATION INSPECTIONS

Before carrying out our routine inspections on tenanted properties, we will ask if any tenant is showing symptoms of COVID-19 or has been asked to self-isolate before going ahead with any appointment.

We will have sanitised our hands and will be wearing an appropriate face mask, together with shoe coverings and gloves before entering a property, and kindly request the tenant(s) sanitises all door handles and also wears an appropriate face mask.

Tenants that are at a property during a routine inspection are kindly requested not to follow the agent around the property, and to ensure all internal and applicable external doors are left open, allowing us to walk freely around the property whilst making notes in each room, together with the gardens, garages and the like.

In relation to property vacation inspections after a tenant(s) have vacated, we ask that ALL keys that are returned to our office (as per instructions) are sanitised and placed in a sealed envelope noting the tenant(s) name.

We ask that the property is thoroughly cleaned before vacation, that ALL personal items are removed from the property, any outbuildings, or garages, and that all internal doors are left open.

Properties will be inspected no sooner than 72 hours after the date of vacation, to ensure that guidance and recommendations are followed and that the property and all surfaces are at a greatly reduced risk of COVID-19. This is in n the interest of the safety of our staff, and the landlord or contractors that may need to visit following a tenant's vacation.

In summary our clients' and employees' health and safety are our primary concerns.

We will continue to review this policy adapting where and if necessary following Government guidelines.