Breaking News - Government announces Major Home Buying Overhaul
PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and The Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP
Hundreds of thousands of first-time buyers are set to save £710 on average when buying a home, along with vital time and energy, thanks to the biggest shakeup to the homebuying system in this country’s history.
Proposals unveiled by the government on Monday 6 October will speed up the long-drawn out and costly process of buying a home by four weeks, saving people money and unnecessary stress, alongside wider reforms to rewire a chaotic system which has become a barrier to homeownership.
It will see sellers and estate agents required under the plans to provide buyers with vital information about a property upfront, including the condition of the home, leasehold costs, and chains of people waiting to move. This will help end nasty surprises which result in last-minute collapses and give greater confidence to first-time buyers making one of life’s most important decisions.
Responding to COVID-19 - Create a Post-Lockdown Strategy
Well, what a few hectic and interesting few days. Sunday - the Prime Minister announces a 5 stage plan to ease the UK out of lockdown. The live broadcast lasted 15 minutes. We understood everything he said and continued to wile away the evening - Scrabble anyone?
Monday, 10PM, surprise, No, shock, announcement from the Housing Secretary - as from Wednesday, yes within 24 hours, those working in the property sector could re-open.
Tuesday and a little bit of chaos ensues - is this a dream? Clearly not a practical joke. It was true, “the green light” had been given for the housing market to get back to work, but, as the old adage states, “always read the small print”. As social media, trade press, national press reported on this significant shift, the detail of Robert Jenrick announcement became apparent, ONLY if property professionals could adhere to the guidance then letting agents, estate agents, developers, construction companies, removal companies, inventory clerks, surveyors and any other Stakeholder in the property sector could get back to work. Sounds straightforward? Not quite. The last 3 days we witnessed property professionals making decisions that are quite crucial in their response to COVID-19 Post Lockdown and ensuring not only a safe return to work, but also a safe environment for clients & implementing Covid-19 Protocols for any business activity undertaken away from the office premises.