Tools down for real estate, virtual auctions, inspections ongoing

An emergency briefing with the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has seen Queensland’s top real estate body call for tools down across the sector Tuesday evening, with all but essential repairs and legally required activity to go ahead.

Real Estate Institute of Queensland head Antonia Mercorella briefed real estate agents Tuesday afternoon after the body was “smashed” by queries from agents all day as the Queensland government changed the rules twice on which services could and couldn’t go ahead.

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“You’ve just probably wrapped your head around the requirement to register for the Check In QLD app and now we’re talking about new lockdown requirements,” she told agents. “I appreciate it’s overwhelming. I’ve heard your frustration loud and clear, I ask that we all band together to get through this, work cooperatively. What we want to ensure is that we’re following the rules so that we continue to keep real estate running.”

Lockdown impacted parts of the state include 11 local government areas in South East Queensland – Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Gold Coast – Townsville City (including Magnetic Island) and Palm Island Aboriginal Shire – effective 6pm AEST Tuesday (June 29).

Mr Mercorella advised those operating in the local government areas named by the QLD government as being in lockdown to revert to “the early days of Covid-19” when activity moved online.

Among all physical activity normally associated with real estate that’s coming to a three day stop from Tuesday 6pm are open homes, routine rental inspections and on site auctions.

”Non essential businesses are not allowed to operate during lockdown,” she said. “Everyday real estate practices cannot continue in those LGAs during the lockdown, open homes are not happening, also auctions shouldn’t be conducted, those are not considered to be essential. Photographs and videos (of properties) we don’t believe that those activities are deemed to be essential work.”

“What it means is we will need to revert to those online tools we used during those early days of Covid-19 previously. Everything done in an online environment is perfectly acceptable.”

Some real estate activities could go ahead including property settlements and things like building and pest inspections to satisfy legal obligations pre-settlement.

In those cases she said those professionals, the agents and the buyers needed to wear masks, ensure physical distancing and practise handwashing and good hygiene.

Emergency repairs to property could also be considered essential, she said, but routine rental property inspections should be delayed.

LOCKDOWN RULES

SEQ, Townsville, Magnetic Island:

1. No in-person inspections, open homes or auctions can occur during lockdown – you may revert to virtual options until the lockdown finishes.

2. Plan ahead for Saturday. If you are planning to hold opens or auctions on Saturday, given the rapidly changing landscape you may wish to consider online alternatives or at minimum, implementing a back-up option which may include planning for stricter occupant density restrictions. In your advertising material for auctions or open homes, you might wish to use the wording “Subject to Covid requirements”.

3. Any essential work that cannot be completed from home can be done in the workplace.

4. Obligations to satisfy legal requirements can proceed e.g. settlement of property, building and pest inspections, handing over keys in accordance with tenancy agreements etc. Consider rescheduling if not time-sensitive.

Rest of Queensland:

The rules for the rest of Queensland (that is, not in the 11 LGAs in South East QLD, Townsville, Magnetic Island and Palm Island) are:

1. No more than one person per 2sq m indoors, no limits on density in outdoor spaces.

2. All social distancing and hygiene requirements remain in effect.

3. Contact information must be kept for 56 days of anyone coming on site including name, address, and mobile phone number to allow contact tracing.

(Source: The REIQ)

AFTER LOCKDOWN

Coming into force from 1am July 9:

1. All open homes, auctions and rental inspections must use the ‘Check In QLD’ app. The REIQ has now clarified that all real estate agents should register their own QR code. “Anyone responsible for a listing/property should register for their own QR code,” according to a briefing this afternoon by REIQ head Antonia Mercorella. “You do not need to get individual QR codes for each property.”

She said agents were not allowed to use their own apps for contact tracing post July 9. “Make sure you’re keeping really great records of open home/listing time and dates in case Queensland Health need to contact you.”

The only instance where individual QR codes would be needed for properties was with short term rental holiday homes.

For buyers and renters, this means that post July 9 they will have to have the ‘Check In QLD’ app downloaded to their phone and ready to use, though it’s understood that in special circumstances where this is not the case the agents will also take details down.

2. A new Covid-Safe Industry Checklist must be displayed at all auctions and open home inspections.

According to Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young, anyone failing to comply with the health directive (without a reasonable excuse) could be subject to “100 penalty units or six months imprisonment”.

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