Coronavirus (Covid-19) and RICS Level 3 Survey FAQs

All areas of England* will enter a new lockdown from November 5 to deal with the rising number of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases with new, stricter regulations in place until December 2. This time, unlike in the first national lockdown introduced in March, buying and selling of property will continue within tight public health guidelines. At Surveyor Local, our top priority at all times is taking care of our customers and our employees. Here's how we can help.

Yes, surveyors are free to carry out an examination of any property you are interested in buying. There are still some strict rules for them to follow:

• A surveyor should not enter any property where a member of the household has coronavirus symptoms or is self-isolating;
• Inspections should take place by appointment only, with only one person visiting a property at a time;
• House sellers should ensure the surveyor can access all areas of the property and minimise their contact with the surveyor.

Once instructed, your Surveyor Local surveyor will contact the owners of the property to ensure they know the areas to be examined. He or she will ask for all doors and access panels to be open and surfaces cleaned with household cleaning products in time for the visit. Members of the household must maintain social distance at all times or vacate the property during the survey. The surveyor will be clear in the final report about any areas he or she could not inspect because of public health limitations.

Surveyor Local only works with chartered surveyors who are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). All are following strict industry and government guidelines to protect both themselves and other people. This means:

• Surveyors will wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during each inspection;
• Only carrying out RICS Home Survey inspections if the property is vacant and unoccupied or if the owner/occupier is not present or maintaining social distance;
• Washing their hands on entry to the property, using paper towels that must be disposed of immediately or towels separate from the household;
• Issuing all correspondence and reports electronically - no hard copies will be sent or accepted.

If your surveyor unfortunately becomes unwell or there is a change in the situation and your booking must be cancelled, you will receive notice of this immediately. As soon as a new date becomes available, you will be notified, and we will work with the surveyor to ensure your survey remains a priority.

Our no-completion protection protects your fixed-fee quote in the event that your property transaction falls through. Should your transaction fail to complete, for whatever reason, you will pay no further fees on that transaction. Your initial payment will rollover on to one more survey instruction with us, protecting your money.

If you have any other queries or want to know more about the property surveys we offer, call Surveyor Local on . We are open 7 days a week, 9am-8pm Mon-Thu, 9am-6pm Fri and 10am-4pm Sat-Sun. We look forward to supporting you through these challenging times. Take care and stay safe.   *Separate public health guidelines are in place in Wales during the “fire break lockdown” imposed by the Welsh Government. These regulations will be lifted on November 9 and reviewed on a fortnightly basis.