OPINION
Moving out of a rental is stressful enough, but with stage four COVID-19 restrictions in place in Melbourne, spanners you never knew existed have been thrown into the works.
I recently vacated my share house of three years in inner-city Melbourne during stage four lockdown, which was a challenge, to say the least.
Not only did the lockdown make the actual move more complicated, but my (now former) housemates and I struggled to know how to proceed under the brand new pandemic restrictions.
My advice to those considering a move during stage four lockdowns is be prepared for additional stress unforeseen complications. The government is allowing pre-arranged moves to go ahead, if you can wait then it’s probably best to do so.
Here are some of the challenges I came up against during my move.
Waiting for clarity on stage four rules
When the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced stage four lockdown on Sunday, 2 August, there were unanswered questions about how the real estate industry would proceed with auctions and open for inspections, and whether people planning to move home would be able to do so.
24 hours later, Premier Andrews confirmed that Melburnians would be able to settle a property sale and move home if they had made arrangements prior to the lockdown and that all home inspections would be done digitally.
However, many tenants, landlords and property managers remained unclear about a number of things. These included rules around producing videos for digital inspections; whether or not tenants without prior arrangements could still move out; whether final inspections could take place; and, most importantly, whether people in unsafe circumstances would be able to relocate.
Luckily my housemates and I had given notice before the lockdown so we could continue our move as planned.
We were still unsure, however, whether our final inspection would take place to release our bond and whether we could actually move beyond the 5km radius so remained in constant contact with our property manager.
With the prospect of a $1,652 on-the-spot fine for breaking stage four rules, we wanted to get it right.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said that he didn’t want to see people not being able to settle on their new home. Getty
Clarity came on 11 August with the government announcing tenants could move to a home outside the 5km radius provided it was done within curfew hours and, importantly, those in unsafe situations could commence a new lease.
It was also made clear that final end-of-lease inspections were allowed.
But the clarification of the rules was just the first obstacle.
The actual move
My reason for needing to vacate the house was due to my mother’s recent surgery. She needed a live-in primary carer at home as soon as possible and similarly, my two former housemates were also moving in with either their parents or partners.
Moving is a big task on a good day, but add strict lockdown measures to the equation as well as the need to care for an unwell parent and you’ve got yourself a very stressful and time-sensitive situation.
Here’s what we encountered on moving day:
1. Contactless removalists
I arranged for contactless removalists and I agreed to be the first housemate to leave to minimise the number of people in the house at one time.
Removalists and cleaners have gone contactless during stage four lockdown. Picture: Getty.
2. Everything needed a label, everyone wore a mask
We were required to label everything meticulously so no possessions were mixed up. We also had to sanitise every item being moved, as well as wear gloves and masks during the move.
I had to give very clear instructions to the removalists to ensure they found and properly locked the storage unit I had rented. Normally I would go with them, but I didn’t feel safe doing so.
3. Cleaners are allowed
We also engaged contactless end of lease cleaners, which we were originally unsure if we could proceed with as cleaners are currently not performing routine cleans of households, however, end of lease cleaning has been deemed an exception to stage four rules.
4. Returning the keys
Our property manager asked us to leave the keys on the kitchen bench and snib the door on the way out. Normally we would lock the door properly on the outside but at the moment there’s no other choice.
The one silver lining on moving day was that I didn’t have to lift a finger because we were asked to stand in another room or at least 1.5m apart.
Getting rid of unwanted furniture during COVID-19
The other issue we faced was disposing of our furniture. Given we were all moving back into established homes, we had no use for these items for the foreseeable future.
Normally we would list items on Facebook marketplace sites such as My Stuff = Your Stuff, or drop them off at a local op shop, but these options are temporarily unavailable during stage four lockdown.
I was forced to put so many things out for a hard rubbish collection, which was gut-wrenching because I hate throwing away perfectly good furniture.
Other items went into a storage unit, which I hope to be able to sell or donate once restrictions ease.
Is moving house during stage four restrictions worth it?
It’s tempting to want to start a new lease at the moment as there are so many high-quality rentals on the market, especially within inner-city Melbourne, but my experience left me feeling unsafe and more stressed than a normal move.
Now, back at home with my mum who is thankfully on the mend after major surgery, I can’t help but worry that in the process of moving I may have brought COVID-19 into her house.
It’s tempting to move into a dream rental at the moment, but is it worth it? Picture: realestate.com.au/rent
I think that during these unprecedented times, we need to not only follow the rules but also use our own judgement around what’s necessary.
Obviously, some will have no choice in needing to move house, including those that are in unsafe situations, but if there’s a way you can stay put then it’s definitely the better option, at least for now!
The post Moving house a new level of difficult under stage four lockdown appeared first on realestate.com.au.