Lockdown rules are increasing around the country. In most places, you can still have guests in your home and as long as you’re wearing a mask or face covering, most leisure facilities are no longer off-limits. But for some places across the UK where there is a rise in the risk of spreading COVID-19, local lockdown rules have been put in place and an often asked question is: “If the place I live is in local lockdown, what are the rules around hiring tradespeople and home improvement companies to work in my home?”

First of all, let’s look at how many people were planning on making renovations to their home following lockdown? Recently Myglazing.com conducted research with 1000 homeowners. The results told us that over a third (36%) are planning to make upgrades to improve the look of their property in the coming months. In the North West, where most local lockdown measures have been implemented, this figure rises to 44%. But wherever you are in the UK and whatever lockdown rules you need to adhere to, the Government has stated that you can still have companies in your home to carry out improvements providing they adhere to the safety guidance.

What rules should tradespeople I hire follow?

Whilst it’s perfectly fine to have tradespeople in your home, a lot of people aren’t clear on the Health and Safety practices tradespeople should follow. To answer this question, and more, we have created our Safe Guide for Homeowners, explaining the rules and how you can stay safe whilst having work done on your property. The rules for letting home improvement companies into your home, whether or not you’re in local lockdown, are:

• A Tradesperson can continue work in a domestic home, providing that the Tradesperson is well and has no symptoms of COVID-19.
• A Tradesperson/Company should notify all homeowners in advance of arrival.
• If a meeting with a tradesperson or company is required it’s advised to have discussions about the job in an outdoor space such as the garden, porch, driveway or terrace.
• On entry to the home, Tradespeople should wash their hands using soap and water for 20 seconds.
• Tradespeople should wash their hands regularly, particularly after blowing their noses, sneezing or coughing, and when leaving the property.
• Where facilities to wash hands are not available, hand sanitiser should be used, and Tradespeople should carry this with them at all times.
• Tradespeople should maintain a safe distance (at least 2 metres) from any household occupants at all times.
• Where social distancing might not be possible then it’s advised that tradespeople wear face coverings/masks.
• Tradespeople/Companies should ensure good ventilation in the area where they are working, including opening the window.
• No work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless the work is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as an emergency glazing or repair.

No work should be carried out by a Tradesperson who has COVID-19 symptoms, however mild.

What does the British public think about this?

We also asked homeowners for their thoughts on the safety measures they’d like tradespeople to adopt before entering their home. Almost half (48%) of homeowners said they would request that tradespeople stand two metres away from them at all times, with a further one in five people saying they would want external hires to wear face coverings, gloves and a full protective suit. Only 5% of those surveyed admit to not expecting any Personal Protective Equipment from tradespeople.

Having work carried out on your home at the moment doesn’t have to be stressful – quite the opposite in fact! As the days are still long and hopefully drier, now is the perfect time to plan and carry out your dream home improvements. And if you are planning on making your house into your dream home, we’d recommend giving our Safe Guide for Homeowners a read to make sure you’re fully up to date on how to keep you, and any home improvement companies you hire, safe: https://www.ggf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GGF-Safe-Guide-LR-1.pdf

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