Victoria’s real estate industry has claimed “a couple of small wins” in its fight to continue operating as openly as possible during stage four lockdown.
Services relating to property settlement and end-of-lease arrangements have been approved as permitted activities during coronavirus stage four restrictions.
In a video to Real Estate Institute of Victoria members on Thursday night, president Leah Calnan said the allowances were “a couple of small wins” for the industry, which will almost entirely move online after private inspections were banned.
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Property settlement and end of lease services are still permitted.
“We are able to perform services relating to a property settlement,” Ms Calnan said.
“What we are interpreting that to be is that services related to things like the (property) valuation being completed between now and six weeks, pest and building (inspection), pre-settlement inspections and also allowing agents to go to the office to collect keys, paperwork, and go to the property to do a handover.”
She said contactless key handover practices should be adopted across the next six weeks.
“The second thing we have had a small win on is we are able to perform services relating to end of a lease. That includes a tenant, or a landlord or buyer organising a removalist,” Ms Calnan continued.
“That also allows for a property manager to go to the office, collect keys, files, do what they need to do in the office and go to the property to meet a tenant.
“That should also allow for a tenant to arrange a cleaner, arrange a locksmith and any of the other necessary processes and procedures relating to the end of lease process.”
REIV President Leah Calnan has updated members.
But she told the Herald Sun there was no specific guidelines that allowed new tenants to move home.
“It’s only buyers who fall under services relating to property settlement, so we’re still waiting to get official word about tenants,” she said.
“In other times we would probably have looked at the guidelines and assumed rules related to settlement also applied to tenants, but the fines are so horrendous so we want the government to be very specific.”
She said some tenants with plans to move into properties this weekend still don’t have the official green light.
Another “positive” was that directions were only in place until August 16, at which point they could be amended by the state government.
Ms Calnan said the industry body would “provide feedback” about the ban on private inspections in the hope the government may make “further exemptions”.
Agents have voiced concern about private inspections being banned under the latest lockdown rules.
RT Edgar Inner West director Joanne Royston said the ban was a cruel blow to agents who had been working hard to follow COVID-19 hygiene and distancing requirements.
“We’ve been taking our hand wipes and sanitiser out (to properties), we’ve been masking up,” she said.
“We’re also trying not to enter the houses to eliminate too many people being inside. And we’re maintaining social distancing to make people feel more comfortable.”
Buxton Hampton East agent Paul Sibley said the private inspection ban was “a bit bizarre”.
“July was one of our best months in a long time and we had a rush with buyers motivated to get their deals done,” Mr Sibley said.
“Any new campaigns will be put on pause, because I’d be very surprised if anybody buys a property without seeing it first.”
He expressed concern that some people who recently sold a property may not have anywhere to move in six weeks, if they had not bought before stage four lockdown.
An REIV member reference guide seen by the Herald Sun confirms people can move to a new primary residence if their contract is due to settle or if their lease is set to expire during the six week period.
It indicates that only one person can inspect a property for settlement purposes.
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