Posted on Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Hello

Firstly, I hope that you and your loved ones are well.

With Lockdown 2 coming into force on Thursday this week I wanted to write with an update on the procedures we have in place to keep our clients and team safe.

I also want to reassure you that our offices are allowed to remain open under the latest rules as the government is keen to keep property transactions moving.


In our Offices

Our offices remain open but we are operating a a locked door policy. Should you need to come into the office please arrange an appointment in advance so we can ensure you are seen promptly. Alternatively, ring on the doorbell at the office and one of the team will assist you

We are operating track and trace, taking names and contact numbers

The social distancing measures we put in place over the summer remain in place and are working well, thanks to the cooperation of our clients

Hand sanitiser stations are present at the entrance to each of our offices please ensure you use them when visiting

We are trying to reduce the number of people entering each office so, please come alone if possible should you need to visit us

Please follow the legal guidance on wearing a face covering

If one of our offices has to close due to incidence of Covid-19 in the team, we will advise the necessary authorities and follow government guidance. We will post information on any closures on our social media channels


Property Viewings

Our teams have been thoroughly briefed to ensure viewings are conducted in accordance with Covid-19 Secure Standards

Our staff have been requested to ask viewers, property owners and landlords a series of questions in order to ascertain if it is safe for the viewing of the property to go ahead:

Are you exhibiting any symptoms of the Covid-19 virus with a new continuous cough or high temperature or a loss of your normal taste or smell in the last 14 days?

Is there anyone extremely clinically vulnerable (shielding) in the household?

If the answer is  to any of these questions we will not proceed with the viewing

Note that if we are undertaking an accompanied viewing the property owners will be asked to vacate the property for the duration of the viewing in accordance with the government guidelines.


When undertaking a viewing, our staff will have requested the owner/landlord to adopt the following protocols:

Wash their hands both before and after the viewing

Wear a mask if they are at the property when the viewing takes place

Open all windows where possible

Leave all doors open to enable free access without the necessity of touching handles

Wipe all balustrades, door handles, light switches before and after the viewing

Maintain a 2 metre social distance at all times throughout the viewing

Clean any area which a viewer may have touched.

There will only be a maximum of 2 viewers and children under 12 are being discouraged from attending


If you are viewing a property, we ask that you:

Wash your hands before and after the viewing

Wear gloves and a mask on entering the property

Avoid touching anything in the property unless absolutely necessary

Maintain a 2 metre social distance at all times throughout the viewing

You will also be asked if you are exhibiting any symptoms as stated above.

Since the lifting of the blanket lockdown and re-opening of our offices in July the property market has been particularly active.

Thanks to the procedures we have in place it has been possible for us to continue to serve our clients.

On behalf of the whole team at Gascoigne Halman, I would like to thank our clients for their support in following our guidance which is keeping us all safe.