Moving Home and COVID – 19
To help the housing market bounce back, the chancellor has announced an immediate stamp duty holiday for homes sold for up to £500,000 in England and Northern Ireland until 31 March 2021. You can now start viewing properties in person as long as social distancing is observed and removal services have been given a green light too.
If you are planning to move house in these unprecedented times but are uncertain how to go about it, don’t panic. Here is some guidance on moving house and hiring a removals company in North London.
Hiring a removals company is allowed! You do not have to stress about moving your possessions yourself as long as your removals company follows the guidelines set by the government on working safely during COVID-19.
After choosing a removal company to help you move, enquire how the company is taking preventative measures to protect their staff and customers during the pandemic.
Removal companies and customers must be aware of the following:
- No work can be carried out in a household if any of the family members have COVID-19 symptoms and have been advised to isolate. If anyone in your household has COVID-19 or is self-isolating, postpone the moving day.
- Before carrying out any work, the removal company should train their employees on the importance of working safely in customers’ homes.
- A social distancing of 1+ metres is advised and should be maintained. A distance of at least 2 metres is preferred. Should this not be feasible, the removal company will find reasonable ways to reduce transmission risk.
- Hand washing facilities should be available to the removals workers at all times. In cases that this is not applicable, hand sanitizer will be provided by the removals company for employees at all times. Employees will wear masks and gloves to reduce the risk of transmission.
Before the removal team arrive at your home, make sure you prepare your household by cleaning all surfaces, doors and handles. When the removal crew arrive, talk to them before they enter your home and brief them on any anything that has not been discussed before. Make sure you increase the ventilation in your house by opening windows and doors and stay out of the way of the removals men to allow them to work in pairs when lifting heavy items.
At the new premises, allow the removals company to have a quick look around to see how the access to the property is and to wash their hands. Once all your possessions are offloaded into your new home, take time to clean all surfaces, doors and handles to minimise the risk of transmission. Once this has all been done it is time to start unpacking those boxes.
If you are looking for a removals company in North London during these uncertain times, contact Stork Removals for a no obligation moving quote.