Covid 19 – Update on our Procedures and Services
In line with recent Government Guidance regarding the spread of Covid 19, we have put together this page in order for clients to keep up to date with our associated procedures and any changes to our services. As the situation and guidance from Government changes, we will update this page accordingly.
At Belvoir, we take the safety of our clients, tenants, staff and contractors very seriously. As such we are currently taking the following precautions, as in line with Government Guidance;
Covid Service Updates – 17/5/2021
In line with Welsh Government Legislation, we are pleased to confirm that all our Swansea, Sketty and Mumbles Branches are now open to the public. Some of our services may remain affected as we continue to follow Government Guidelines, information as follows.
Visiting us at one of our Branches
We are requesting that visitors please wear a face covering and sanitise their hands upon entering;
We are limiting visitors at the office; we therefore recommend that you contact us to make an appointment to save you waiting.
Sales Valuations
Our listers are able to provide full valuations as normal and will visit the property wearing a facemask and gloves. We ask where possible that windows are opened to create a steady flow of air within the property. We will hand sanitise before entering the property to reduce the chance of transmission of Covid 19.
Sales Viewings
Virtual Tours will be provided in the first instance to all potential viewers. Physical viewings can be arranged for proceedable buyers to fall in line with current Covid 19 Guidelines. Negotiators will wear face coverings and we ask all viewers to do the same, while maintain social distance. Viewings are aimed to be kept to 15 minutes within the property and further discussions can take place outside of the property or over the phone.
Lettings Valuations
Our listers are able to provide full valuations as normal and will visit the property wearing both gloves and a facemask. Where possible, we do ask that two or more windows are open to allow flow of air through the property. We do try to keep valuations contactless and avoid touching any surfaces but do carry cleaning wipes with us to clean any surfaces down.
Lettings Viewings
Most of our viewings will be conducted virtually using an up-to-date video or virtual tour, especially where a property is still tenanted. If the property is vacant or an application is successful, we are able to offer a physical viewing where our negotiator will be wearing gloves and a face mask and we ask all tenant to do the same. Viewing will be contactless so should you wish to see certain areas or any doors are closed, our negotiators will show these areas and clean down any surfaces they touch following the viewing. Viewings are aimed to be kept under five minutes within the property and further discussions can take place outside of the property or over the phone.
Please note, should you or anyone you are in contact with show any symptoms of Covid-19 or are advised to self-isolate, please notify us as early as possible so that we can re-arrange any appointments in a suitable time-frame.
If you have any questions about any of our other services and how these might be affected by Covid Guidelines then please do contact us
21/12/2020
Following on from the Welsh Government’s announcement on Saturday 19th December, our offices are to temporarily close to the public with immediate effect. To protect the health and wellbeing of our staff, we have also taken the additional measure of switching our staff to working from home as of today. Please rest assured that our staff will be working remotely and you will be able to call or email us as normal.
We will be providing further updates via our website as and when the Welsh Government release more information.
Best Wishes to you all.
The Belvoir Team
13/09/2020
Following The Welsh Government Update on Friday 11th September, it will now be mandatory for anyone visiting our Offices in Swansea, Mumbles or Sketty, to be wearing a Face Mask. We are still operating a one-in, one-out basis, and we would ask anyone thinking of visiting our offices to make an appointment first. Our Offices are still dealing with an unprecedented amount of phone calls, so we would also ask, where possible, for you to email your enquiry to swansea@belvoir.co.uk. Thank you in advance, and we hope you are safe and well. Belvoir Swansea Management Team.
24/06/2020
Following the Welsh government announcement on Friday 19th June, we are experiencing extremely high volumes of enquiries for both our Sales and Lettings Properties, and all staff are working through new and existing enquiries with the aim of responding as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience while you wait for our response and are pleased to provide you with the following updates regarding our service:
- Physical viewings can now take place at vacant (unoccupied) properties only, providing all attendees adhere to strict social distancing guidelines, and wear protective face masks and gloves. If a viewing is arranged with a member of staff you will be provided with further instructions in advance of meeting us.
- Due to the large volume of enquires we are receiving for some Lettings properties, we will continue to offer virtual/video viewings for the time being. This will ensure that all interested parties have had the opportunity to see the property as it is, and will allow you to decide whether or not you wish to make an offer on the property. If your offer is accepted, we may arrange a physical viewing for a later date. We are currently completing videos and/or virtual tours at all our properties once they become vacant and a link will be sent to anybody that has registered interest once these are available. Further information on how to apply for a Lettings property will be provided along with the link.
- Some properties have received significant interest, so we ask that you please bear with us while we work through all our enquiries.
Thank you for contacting Belvoir and we look forward to assisting you in your next home move and will be in touch as soon as possible.
Best regards,
The Belvoir Team
19/06/2020
As many of you will have seen, Wales is now gradually easing itself out of Lockdown, and that also includes cautiously re-opening the Housing Market. It’s good news overall, however, it will be far from business as usual with a number of restrictions still in place. As a business, we are working tirelessly to re-open our Offices, however, we are awaiting the delivery of additional PPE kit and Social Distancing Health and Safety banners, Posters and Floor markers. Until these arrive, our offices remain closed with the team continuing to work remotely, so please continue to communicate with us via phone and email as you have been doing since the beginning of lockdown.
We are still waiting for the Welsh Government to issue us with specific guidance, but we’re happy to share with you what we know so far:
- All house moves can go ahead where the residential property has been unoccupied i.e. vacant for at least 72 hours.
- House moves can take place where a sale has been agreed but not yet completed.
- The marketing and viewing of unoccupied residential property can take place.
- Valuations and inspections of occupied residential property are allowed but should be done so safely and in line with the Welsh Government’s guidance on working in someone’s home.
House moves can still not take place where the residential property is occupied. However, the Welsh Government has said that agents can now prepare to market these properties subject to a full reopening of the sector.
https://www.arla.co.uk/news/june-2020/partial-reopening-of-housing-market-in-wales/
We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding over the last 12 weeks and would ask you to bear with us once again, as we continue to work through our backlog. We look forward to seeing you all again soon, and we will of course update you as soon as more information becomes available.
Many Thanks,
Ben Davies
Managing Director
16/03/2020
We hope you and your loved ones are well during these very difficult and unprecedented times.
Health and safety are of absolute paramount importance at Belvoir, which is why we have decided to take temporary measures to protect our staff, members of the public and also the contractors that we work with.
We are following Government guidelines daily in the this rapidly evolving situation,
Following on from our temporary postponement of property visits and viewings last week, we have taken the difficult decision to close both offices and we have switched to remote working for our staff.
Please rest assured that we are doing everything we can to maintain our service to our customers and clients and we hope you understand our reasons for taking additional Health and Safety measures.
We will continue to work for you in these challenging times.
Please stay safe and take care.
Regretfully, both Sales and Lettings viewings have been postponed until further notice. Both Swansea and Mumbles Offices remain open and we are happy to discuss properties over the phone with potential purchasers or tenants. All of our properties benefit from photos and write-ups and some from Videos and/or Virtual Tours;
We are contacting clients and applicants ahead of meeting to check that they are not experiencing any symptoms, nor have they returned from any of the high-risk countries listed on the WHO website;
During face to face appointments, we will not shake hands and we will be observing the Governments social distancing guidelines;
Our team will be following the Governments guidance on hand hygiene, before and after appointments, and throughout the day;
Our offices and any ‘high touch’ items are being cleaned and sanitised regularly;
Keys are being sanitised before and after use by staff members and contractors
In terms of our services, we have, following guidance from Safe Agent and the Government, made the following changes to our usual services.
Property Visits
All routine Property Visits will be postponed until further notice.
Viewings
These continue to go ahead as normal, taking into consideration the precautions listed above. Applicants and occupiers will be notified of any viewings as normal, and will have the opportunity to update us if they are self-isolating, as such the viewing will be postponed. We regret that our negotiators will be unable to offer lifts to viewings.
Property Appraisals
These are still being conducted, taking into consideration all precautions listed above. However if you are in self isolation or would simply prefer to use this service without meeting face to face, a live video link appraisal followed by a desktop valuation can be arranged, with one of our team. Please contact the office as normal to arrange this if required.
Maintenance
We will continue to manage maintenance in line with the timescales outlined in the Tenant Handbooks, out of hours emergencies will also continue to be managed as normal until further notice.
Gas Safety Certificates
As a precaution, and in the event that the Government introduces a lock down, we are arranging for any Gas Safety Certificates due between now and Mid-May to be carried out as soon as possible.
Visiting our Offices
We are everyone to please contact us via telephone or email and to refrain from coming to the offices if possible. Terms of Business for both Sales and Lettings, along with tenancy application forms can be sent and completed electronically.
Tenant Check Ins and Check Outs
Currently carrying on as normal, until further notice.
High Risk Category Clients, Customers and Tenants
Tenants in a ‘High Risk Category’ as per the Governments Guidelines or those self-isolating, please contact us via email to swansesa@belvoir.co.uk to inform us, so that we may update our records.
Rent Payments
Rent payments will be due as normal and for the foreseeable future. If the Government confirms any changes to this and/or any changes to legislation regarding tenancy agreements and rent payments, then we will update this page along with any procedural changes accordingly. For the latest Government Update please follow the link Important Update for Tenants and Landlords
Safe Agent advise that tenants who have any concerns about paying their rent due to a change in their work circumstances, please follow the guidance from the Department of Work and Pensions.
