Tier 4 restrictions - what does this mean?.....................................

We can continue to work under Tier 4 restrictions and people can continue to  attend house viewings and move home. "The sales and rental markets remain open in all tiers and all associated activities can continue as before," confirmed Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick on Twitter. "Please follow the Covid-secure guidance. And use your judgment as to whether it’s necessary right now," wrote the secretary.

Viewing homes safely during Tier 4

"If you are looking to move, you can go to property viewings," notes the Tier 4 guidance, which advises both the public and industry to follow the existing guidance on moving home safely during Covid-19. This means that initial viewings should still take place virtually wherever possible and in-person viewings should be arranged by appointment only. 'Open house’ viewings should not take place. During an in-person viewing, suitable face coverings should be worn, all internal doors should be kept open, and surfaces, such as door handles, are cleaned after each viewing with standard household cleaning products. Avoid touching surfaces wherever possible, wash your hands regularly and/or use hand sanitiser.

Moving home safely during Tier 4

People can still move home and removals firms can continue to operate, according to the Tier 4 guidance. However, "people outside your household or support bubble should not help with moving house unless absolutely necessary". Anyone involved in any aspect of the home-moving process should practice social distancing. Households should try to do as much of their own packing as they can. Clinically extremely vulnerable people are also allowed to move home, but they should consider their personal situation may wish to seek medical advice first. The guidance notes that "some moves are likely to be lower risk - for instance if the home is empty, all travel can take place in their own transport and they can avoid contact with others".

Working safely during Tier 4

We will follow the guidance on working safely during coronavirus, which includes carrying out a Covid-19 risk assessment. Basic safety procedures include ensuring staff wear face coverings as, "by law, staff in retail settings must wear face coverings when in customer-facing areas, unless they have an exemption," notes the guidance on working safely during coronavirus. Agencies should also reduce crowding and consider how many people can be in the space while remaining socially distant, including using floor markings to manage queues. Help staff to remain social distancing, by using barriers to separate staff and customers, introducing back-to-back or side-to-side working, and making your staff work in the same team each day. All staff and customers should be kept up to date with how safety measures are being used and updated.