Auction rooms will be expected to have yellow tape on the floors marking a 2m distance, attendees must book their place at the auction and will have staggered arrival times under a new protocol for the property sector.
The protocol that was drawn up by the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV), the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PRSA) and the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) has been approved by the Government and circulated to auctioneers.
The three bodies are still lobbying Government to allow estate agents to open their doors in phase two of the easing of restrictions.
“This is a long document that covers all the aspects of working in a post-coronavirus era for property agents,” said IPAV CEO Pat Davitt.
“It will be a lot more difficult for vendors showing their property under these new rules and it will be hard to have administration staff working from home.”
Viewing
In terms of viewing a residential property, the estate agent will have to verify whether the vendor is cocooning or in an at-risk category.
If they have returned from travel abroad or had symptoms of COVID-19, viewings must not be conducted for 14 days.
Doors must be left open, COVID-19 signage must be displayed on the property and hand sanitiser must be made available at the entrance.
A 2m distance must be kept at all times and if someone has extensive queries, it is advised that these are carried out over the phone or via video conferencing technology.
For auctions of land:
To close the sale, social distancing must be maintained and payment should be made by bank transfer.
Comment
Kilkenny-based auctioneer Pat Gannon has already started to change the way he does business as a result of coronavirus.
Rather than holding an auction now, his approach is to bring all interested parties into one room, while maintaining social distancing, to negotiate.
He says that the demand for land will keep prices strong.
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