An announcement from our trade association the BAR

We received the following update from the 'British Association of Removers', on 13 January 2021. We believe it will be of interest to our customers. 

Dear BAR Member,

Further to speculation across the media over the last few days with regards to a possible lockdown of the home moving market, we have literally just received the following update directly from MHCLG. We will of course keep you updated on any developments as they arise.
 
Let me reassure you, that we have no current plans to close the housing market.

• We currently have no plans to close the housing market – it would only be closed if the Prime Minister decided it was the right thing to do.
• During the first lockdown people were still able to move where it was reasonably necessary. The housing market was the first sector of the economy to open back up in May 2020.
• We feel it is important to make people aware that closure is a possibility, to encourage all parties to build flexibility into their moving plans.  
• It takes around 20 weeks to move home and one of the complexities in the process is agreeing on a final date for the move, not least because in a long chain several households will be moving on the same day. 
• When agreeing these dates we want all parties to have had a discussion with their conveyancer about contingencies in case they need to delay or postpone their move. We don’t expect it to happen but it is practical for people to think about it in advance.

 
Kind Regards

Membership Services Team
British Association of Removers