Covid FAQ

COVID-19 Pandemic and Covid Safe Compliance Certificate

The health and well-being of our colleagues, customers and communities is our utmost priority. Following the recent Government announcement we’re working hard to ensure that we can return to work whilst keeping everyone safe.

We are delighted that we are returning to physical inspections but this doesn’t mean we pick up where we left off. We will resume inspections, in line with guidance issued by the Government and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

We have taken the time to ensure all the necessary health and safety measures are in place to protect our people and our customers. This includes issuing PPE (personal protective equipment) to our surveyors and providing training to our people on how to safely inspect your property.

How we conduct inspections safely

Please click to see a video that explains how we conduct inspections safely

View video

During our inspection we would require you to vacate the property. If this cannot be done, social distancing must be applied otherwise the surveyor will have to abort the inspection.

The Social Distancing Requirements are as follows:

Stay 2 metres away from the inspecting surveyor at all times (preferably in a defined room until such a point the surveyor needs to inspect this room
Please ensure all internal doors and all areas made accessible internally and externally to avoid our surveyor having physical contact with the property
Please ensure all pets are kept restrained or isolated away from the surveyor during the inspection
The surveyor will require access inside and out of the property
Children and all members of the household must adhere to social distancing measures and if unable to vacant the property all need to isolate in one room for the duration of the inspection

If at any point during the inspection the surveyor has concerns in relation to health and safety they may have to abort and we shall contact you at a later date to confirm a re-arranged appointment.

Important

Our colleagues are working hard to deal with the backlog of appointments. Please help us keep our phone lines free for outbound calls by contacting your mortgage lender for any updates on your mortgage valuation. Thank you for your continued patience.

To read our full FAQs, please see our recently updated Surveying FAQs below:

Surveying

The health of our customers, colleagues and communities is of the utmost importance to us and whilst these are uncertain times we want to reassure you that our focus and dedication remains to help all our customers with surveying advice. As part of this we now have a signed declaration of government compliance.

Covid Safe Compliance Certificate
Many customers may have the same concerns and lenders will be experiencing high call volumes. If you have used a broker they may be able to guide you through this process or speak with your lender to ask about what happens next.
Yes, we are still providing mortgage valuations for our clients. The valuation may be undertaken using our innovative remote valuation service. If we need to inspect your property we will contact you. The video on our website details how we will safely conduct an inspection of the property.

It’s important to note that not all cases are suitable for a remote valuation and we can only act on the instructions received from your bank or building society if you have a chat with them they’ll let you know what will happen with your application.
We work with our mortgage lender clients to determine which properties are suitable for a remote valuation. We adopt a risk based approach and consider a number of factors including the value of the property, the size of the loan, property age and type and its location. As such not all properties will meet the individual lenders requirements.
We are now undertaking surveys in England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland, subject to local restrictions.

We are here to help all homebuyers with their purchase decision. Please contact us at HomeFact@countrywide.co.uk
We have people on hand to assist our customers. Please contact us at surveying.insight@countrywide.co.uk and we will be able to help you.
We are now undertaking surveys in England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland, subject to local restrictions.

We are here to help all homebuyers with their purchase decision. Please contact us at HomeFact@countrywide.co.uk
A survey helps you make an informed decision about the condition of the property. Without this knowledge, you may experience problems with the property when you move in. Or there could be defects which could be costly to put right.

Covid FAQ

How we conduct inspections safely

Surveying

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