26th March 2020

Moving house has now been permitted under The Health Protection (coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.

The government today published regulations which state that the restrictions of movement do not apply to those who are looking “to move house where reasonably necessary”. The legislation also states that the restrictions on gatherings, where no person may participate in a gathering in a public place of more than two people, exempts where it is reasonably necessary to facilitate a house move.

Whilst this appears to address some of the concerns for people currently involved in the house buying process, there are obvious worries for those working in the home moving industry. Whether removal companies will be prepared to expose their employees to the risk of infection from visiting properties, is yet to be seen.

It is important to note that It is not clear whether this includes potential home buyers from viewing properties, given that they are not moving house, and it does not explicitly allow visits to local authorities so that those people who perform personal searches could be denied access.

You can read the full advice from the Government HERE