30th
Mar 2020
There are many issues surrounding Coronavirus ‘distancing’ measures that the government has yet to provide clear and precise directives on, one of which is private rental property maintenance.
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A trade body says that the government continues to decide upon whether such property maintenance tasks should be carried out in homes, such as gas safety checks.
However new advice was posted this morning that may start to clarify matters.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government uploaded a statement this morning at 7am (Tuesday 25th March) that seems to offer more clarity.
The statement says:
Work carried out in people’s homes, for example by tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance, can continue, provided that the tradesperson is well and has no symptoms.
Again, it will be important to ensure that Public Health England guidelines, including maintaining a two metre distance from any household occupants, are followed to ensure everyone’s safety.
No work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do so. In such cases, Public Health England can provide advice to tradespeople and households.
No work should be carried out by a tradesperson who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild.
It is very likely that agents and landlords will be extremely cautious of letting tradespeople or maintenance staff to carry out work in their properties; it has already been reported that many building supplies merchants have closed their doors.
Landlords and agents will also be worried about the possibility of liability if one of their contractors, or staff, becomes infected by or passes on the virus whilst working in one of their occupied properties.
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