Government warns landlords: urgent repairs still to be done
Recently the UK government has published a guide containing security measures to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. This document discusses the steps sellers, property agents, surveyors, and anyone related to the property market should take to decrease the risk of COVID-19 infection.
However, this guide warns that those necessary obligations need to be fulfilled at all costs. For example, the purchase and sale of properties are still allowed, as long as it does not affect social distancing measures; moves and relocations are also allowed; as long as they have emergency priority, otherwise, they must be postponed for three months.
The landlords have also been the object of this guide, according to the new guidelines, landlords are obliged to carry out repairs that are considered urgent. Urgent repairs are those related to the health and safety of their tenants.
Health must be our priority
Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, a mandatory quarantine has been imposed to prevent the spread of the virus. With the number of infected increasing every day, and close to 3000 deaths due to the Coronavirus, the government has seen the need to implement more drastic measures to prevent further damage to the population.
For this reason, the UK government reiterated the legal obligation that landlords have on their tenants: “Landlords are still legally obligated to perform the repair work that their tenants require. As long as they are repairs of extreme necessity, only in cases that represent a risk to the health and safety of the tenants.”
“On the other hand, if the repairs are not an urgent need, they should be postponed to another date. The landlords and the tenants must reach an agreement that satisfies both parties.”
“Local authorities should take the necessary actions to protect and guide citizens while ensuring that they comply with quarantine. These are crucial moments of the pandemic and it will be up to all of us to contain the spread of the virus.”
The government will continue to implement the necessary measures
The UK government has stated that it is committed to assisting tenants and landlords. These emergency measures are part of the contingency plan that the government has implemented to prevent the spread of the virus. Lenders have also decided to be part of these agreements that seek to support homeowners and facilitate their work during this crisis.
Also, the government has declared an exception period for the payment of mortgages; in this way, all those who have a mortgage will have three months of grace.
The following days will be essential and will define what will be the next actions that the government will implement to continue fighting the pandemic. If the quarantine works and the contagion rate drops dramatically, experts estimate that commercial activities may resume in May.
At HICH LTD we join these measures and work tirelessly to continue offering the best property survey service in the whole of the UK; do not expose your health and request our self-assessment survey through this link!
