You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Government announces end to coronavirus housing market freeze with immediate effect
The government has announced it has restarted the English housing market today, six weeks after it put an effective freeze on people moving homes.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed tonight that more than 450,000 buyers and renters who have been unable to progress with deals during the lockdown could now move forward with moving homes.
On 27 March, the government announced the freeze by advising people to delay moving into new homes in order to avoid breaking social distancing rules.
However Mr Jenrick said that, with immediate effect, moves could progress as long as they are done in line with government advice around social distancing.
He said that estate agent offices and show homes could once again open, viewings are now permitted, and other essential parts of the sales and letting processes could restart.
READ MORE
The decision will be welcomed by housing associations, particularly those with high levels of homes for private market sale and shared ownership. Many associations have previously told Inside Housing that they had contingencies in place to deal with the housing market freeze despite it impacting on sales income.
It is assumed that unfreezing the market will also allow non-essential social housing lettings to take place, however guidance on this has not been changed on the government website.
The guidance was published on 27 April and advised that all social landlords must pause all ‘non-essential’ allocations of homes during the pandemic.
With housing policy devolved, this new guidance will apply only to England. Inside Housing has asked the government about whether the other countries in the UK will be changing their guidance.
The government has also outlined plans to extend the working hours on construction sites and put in place protocols to ensure the planning system can work more smoothly remotely.
Under the new proposals, builders will be able to agree more flexible site working hours with their local council and stagger builders’ arrival times in a bid to reduce the number of workers using public transport.
This comes after a number of images have appeared in the past two days which show crowded tube trains largely filled with construction workers.
The new planning system will enable local authorities and developers to publicise planning applications through social media rather than having to rely on posters and leaflets through doors.
The government also announced that councils will be given more flexibility to support small developers by allowing them to defer Community Infrastructure Levy payments, in a bid to help the companies experiencing cashflow issues brought about by the COVID-19 crisis.
Mr Jenrick said: “Today I am announcing new guidelines to allow the housing market to resume. Our clear plan will enable people to move home safely, covering each aspect of the sales and letting process from viewings to removals.
“Our step-by-step plan is based on the latest guidance to ensure the safety and protection of everyone involved.
“This critical industry can now safely move forward, and those waiting patiently to move can now do so.”
Stewart Baseley, executive chair of the Home Builders Federation, said: “The industry sustains hundreds of thousands of people in numerous roles and associated sectors, boosting local economies across the country.
“A resumption of work will play a major part in helping the economy recover as well as delivering the homes the country needs.”
Update at 8.50am on 13.5.2020: This story was updated to make it clear that the updated guidance applies to England.
