Alert Level 3 regulations have been adjusted to allow full real estate operations from Monday, 1 June - and the industry is rearing to go. However, the Covid-19 Command Council has advised extreme caution when it comes to social distancing and hygiene protocol in the work place.
A question on many practitioners as well as sellers' minds has been about physical viewings under Alert Level 3. Can and should show days or physical viewings be held during this time?
According to Section 46 (1) of the new Alert Level 3 regulations, businesses and other institutions can operate except those set out in Table 2. Short term home sharing/letting/leasing/ for leisure purposes are the only Real Estate related exclusion. Estate Agents are not listed as an excluded business in Table 2.
Therefore, there is nothing in the Regulations that prevent an estate agent for holding a show day. But many have expressed that they will be limiting viewings to a one-on-one basis. A number of processes have been adapted since the start of lockdown to ensure a slow-burn for the industry as human contact is minimised, despite the lockdown restrictions. These include virtual valuations, virtual show houses and live virtual tours.
Tony Clarke, MD of the Rawson Property Group confirmed, “Safety is obviously a major concern, and we’ve been engaged in a lot of discussion around ways to implement social distancing and stringent hygiene protocol during all real estate activities and transactions."
Clarke says Rawson safety protocols have now been adopted by REBOSA as the industry standard, and all real estate professionals are being urged to implement them in their own businesses.
Click here to download workplace guidelines as shared by REBOSA
Similarly, RE/MAX has confirmed it is advising its Estate Agents to meet clients at respective properties by appointment only, with the number of Estate Agents representing the company at such appointment limited to no more than one at any given time.
"Meetings with clients will, as far as possible, be conducted via telephone and/or video call. Any viewings of a property should, as far as possible, be done virtually. Once a Buyer/Tenant has expressed definite interest in a particular property, a physical viewing of the property can be arranged in line with viewing protocols, and on express consent of the Property Owner/Inhabitant of the property," says Adrian Goslett, Regional Director & CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
RE/MAX has drafted the following, as part of its comprehensive workplace operating guidelines, released to all its agents for use from 1 June.
Procedures for Private Viewings
Pre-viewing measures:
- Private viewings must be conducted by appointment only.
- Agents should share virtual tours and conduct video walk-throughs of available properties with potential clients using technological means.
- Only once all digital means of viewing the home have been provided, should clients be given the option to view the home in person.
- Agents should screen potential clients to ensure only qualified and serious buyers or renters are taken to view properties to limit risk of transmission.
- Private viewings are strictly by appointment only and with the consent of the clients.
- Agents must enquire from all clients if anyone falls within the high-risk category. It is preferable that these occupants should not be present for the viewing.
- The home must be thoroughly sterilised by the agent after the viewing has taken place, in particular surfaces that have been accidentally touched by visitors.
The attendees:
- Agents should ask clients to send only the final decision makers to view the properties and not the entire family. It is recommended that a maximum of two people from the buyers’ and/or renter’s party attend a private viewing.
- Only one agent may attend a private viewing.
- All attendees are to be emailed a screening questionnaire prior to the meeting which must be completed & returned before the meeting.
- All attendees to be emailed COVID-19 information beforehand, including hygiene expectations.
- Screening is required for all private viewing attendees including recording names, addresses and phone numbers of all attendees, to assist with contact tracing. This document must be kept on record by the RE/MAX franchise.
- Those individuals falling into the high-risk category (agents and clients) should consider not attending the viewing (e.g. those over 60 years old or those with other existing medical conditions)
- Agents must enquire from all clients if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. If so, agents must postpone the appointment until everyone is in good health and has self-isolated for the mandatory 14-day period.
- No private viewings at properties are permitted, where any person living at the property is or has been in the 14 days prior to the viewing, unwell or self-isolating.
- All attendees are required to inform the agent if they present any symptoms up to 14 days after attending a viewing.
- Viewing rules are to be shared with all attendees prior to the viewing, including that the viewing is ‘contactless’ and surfaces cannot be touched by attendees.
Rules and procedure for private viewings:
- Adopt a “no clients in an agent’s car” policy. Meet your client at the property (travel independently).
- If possible, request that the property occupants not be in the property during viewings to minimize contact.
- Request the client to open internal/external doors as appropriate beforehand to minimise risk of surface transmission.
- All attendees are to wear cloth masks while viewing the properties.
- Both the client and the agent must sanitize their hands before entering the property.
- Agent to ensure that hand sanitizer is positioned at the entrance of the property & is available to all attendees during the viewing process.
- Agent to remind clients that the viewing is ‘contactless’ and surfaces may not be touched
- Physical distancing of 2m to be maintained at all times
- No physical contact between attendees (e.g. no hugs, no handshakes)
- The agent (wearing gloves) will open any doors / cupboards on behalf of attendees if the property occupant is unable to.
- Keep private viewings as brief as possible.
- Display COVID-19 information and hygiene notices at entrance to property.
- Agents must sanitise or use antibacterial wipes to wipe down areas that attendees may have accidentally touched (including keys to the home, door handles etc.)
- Private viewings must be spaced sufficiently apart to allow time for sanitising after each viewing, as required, and to ensure there is no contact between potential buyers and/or renters.
Allowing Third-Parties Access to the Property
These include visits to a property other than the above, such as a valuer, building inspector, engineer, photography, videographer etc.
The agent, when arranging for a valuer, photographer, building inspector or any other third party to visit a property, must adhere to the following:
- Strictly by appointment only and with the consent of the client and any other third party.
- Agent to screen all parties that will be present at the property.
- Screening of all parties including names, addresses and phone numbers, to assist with contact tracing. All attendees to be emailed the screening questionnaire prior to the meeting which must be completed & returned before the meeting.
- Any party who falls within the high-risk category (e.g. those over 60 years of age or those with existing medical conditions) or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 must stay at home.
- Visits will strictly be prohibited if any property occupant or party scheduled to attend is or has been in the 14 days prior to the visit, unwell or was self-isolating.
- Request that only essential people be present.
- Everyone is required to travel independently and meet at the property.
- Before and after the appointment, agent to ensure thorough sanitizing of the property, including hands, keys, door handles, surfaces etc.
- Agents to ensure that hand sanitizer is available to all parties while at the property.
- All parties to sanitize their hands before entering the property.
- All parties to wear cloth masks while at the property.
- Physical distancing of 2m to be maintained at all times.
- No physical contact between parties (e.g. hugs, handshakes).
- Afterwards, sanitize or use antibacterial wipes to wipe down areas attendees may have accidentally touched.
- All attendees to be instructed to inform the agent if they present any symptoms up to 14 days after attending a meeting so all parties can be warned and referred for testing.
Signing of Contracts
- It is preferable that documents are delivered to the client and that Zoom calls or other video-based conferencing is used to explain terms and conditions of the contract.
- Should a meeting to sign documents be required, all parties are to
- Maintain social distancing practices.
- Wear a facemask for the duration of the meeting.
- Where possible, wear gloves.
- Each to use their own pen to avoid spreading germs.
- Agent to provide sanitiser for attendees to use.
- Sanitize all surfaces (such as the desk at which the documents were signed) before and after the meeting takes place
- All other health and safety protocols with respect to “in-person meetings” to be upheld.
Arranging the Key Hand Over & Outgoing/Ingoing Inspections
When conducting inspections or key handovers, the agent is to:
- Ask that clients maintain social distancing practices during the inspection of the premises (no handshakes, no hugs, etc.)
- All parties to wear a facemask for the duration of the meeting
- Agent to wear gloves throughout the inspection
- Sanitize all surfaces that were touched after the inspection has been completed
- Sanitize the keys before handover
- Keep the meeting as brief as possible
Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive of the Pam Golding Property group says, “All Pam Golding Properties offices nationally will be fully compliant and ready to implement its measures from 1 June, with all protocols being clearly communicated to our managers, agents and importantly, our buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants.
“In terms of viewings of homes for sale, we will continue to make use of our high-quality virtual tours and iShow days, as well as other technological innovations, which we have found so successful during the lockdown period to date. However, where a buyer wants to physically view the property, we will make the necessary arrangements and again follow the strict protocol guidelines as set out by the authorities. In fact, we aim to exceed the required safety measures to ensure there are no health risks to our agents, staff and clients alike.
“During the lockdown period to date we have been extremely proactive in facilitating property transactions on behalf of sellers and buyers, up to the point of being subject to physical viewing. Now that the Deeds Offices are open and conveyancers are able to carry out the final processing of transactions, this frees up funds for sellers – especially those who are financially distressed – in order that they can move on with their lives.
Golding says there have a been a surprising number of sales concluded during lockdown.
“Positively, we have been receiving numerous enquiries for properties to purchase, with a surprising number of sales concluded during the lockdown period - with some subject to viewing and others without suspensive conditions ie purchased ‘sight unseen’."
