Private inspections for purchase or leasing of Melbourne properties can recommence September 28

Private inspections for purchase or leasing of Melbourne properties can recommence September 28
Staff reporterDecember 7, 2020

Private inspections for purchase or leasing of Melbourne properties can recommence from 11:59 pm Sunday 27 September 2020.

"This will be an enormous relief to buyers, sellers and renters alike, many of whom have been suffering severe financial and emotional stress over the past few weeks," the REIV president Leah Calnan said.

“It is encouraging to see that the plight of many Victorians who were unable to make decisions about their own property has been reconsidered by the government.”

“This decision is recognition that the real estate profession can be trusted to conduct inspections in a safe and responsible manner.”

The Ray White group welcomed today’s Victoria State Government announcement that private home inspections can return.

Real estate auctions will continue to be remote auctions only.

But real estate inspections of property and display home inspections will be allowed with one agent and one prospective purchaser or tenant.

The prospective purchaser or tenant may be accompanied by one other person from an existing household or an intimate partner, and the prospective purchaser or tenant’s children under 18 years old
 
Contactless protocols will be required for inspections, including pre-arranged at a set time and limited to 15 minutes.

A person is not permitted to travel to regional Victoria for a private property inspection, and a person may not travel to metropolitan Melbourne for a private property inspection.
 
It was initially not been made abundantly clear if buyers can travel more than five kms from their home.
 
The overarching advisory remains '"stay within 5km of your home except for permitted reasons such as work or education if these cannot be done at home."
 
But one government website merely advised: "You can’t leave metropolitan Melbourne to view a property."
 
The Domain asked the Department of Health and Human Services for clarification on this, but did not receive an answer by the time of publication on Sunday afternoon.
 
It late became clearer that the 5km rule does not apply when inspecting a house for rent or purchase.
 
But you can only leave your home for a maximum of two hours to attend the inspection and cannot travel into regional Victoria.
 
Ray White Group Managing Director Dan White applauded the announcement and said it was a win for buyers, vendors, tenants, landlords, and real estate as an industry.
 
“There’s no doubt our members and customers have been in pain in recent times. We’ve heard a number of heart-wrenching stories and this announcement from the Andrews Government will provide hope to many families in distress,” Mr White said.
 
“We know from other states and New Zealand that private one-on-one inspections can be successfully conducted in a highly-controlled setting.
 
“Private inspections are all pre-scheduled, where only a single buyer or tenant interact with a single agent, while still being able to properly observe social distancing and enact effective transmission mitigation (i.e. sanitisation of surfaces and the use of masks).”
 

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