“Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery,” a COVID-19 phased recovery plan, began on January 11th. Our region is still in Phase 1 and the following restrictions are currently in place:
- All real estate open houses are not permitted in Phase 1. Please keep the following in mind for all showings:
- Firms should develop processes that brokers follow to ensure compliance, including the following:
- Post signs at the property (e.g. at the front door, inside the property, etc.) alerting the public to the occupancy restriction and reminding the public to wear face coverings and social distance.
- Brokers need to carefully monitor the number of persons on site at any one time and not admit more than the allowed number of persons into the property.
- Brokers need to constantly monitor the front door and potentially lock the door from time to time to prohibit additional persons from entering.
- Firms may consider assigning two brokers to a house during a showing – one to stand outside and monitor the number of persons admitted to the property, and the other to be inside the property.
- Brokers must enforce the face covering requirement.
- Persons waiting to enter the property must social distance and wear face coverings.
- Clean and disinfect all surfaces, before and after the showing, and have sanitizer placed around the property.
- Because contact tracing in the event of an outbreak is important, brokers should maintain a sign-in sheet that includes contact information for all attending a showing.
- Professional services (including real estate offices) should work from home. If you are unable to work from home, those services will be limited to 25% of building occupancy and closed to the general public. Clients must make appointments for in-person services.
- Please note that private home showings are still permitted by appointment only with no more than five (5) people, in addition to the broker, on site with strict social distancing.
Please keep in mind that the firm and broker hosting a showing are at risk of criminal and civil liability for failure to fully comply with the required protocols.
You can find Washington REALTORS®’ most recent COVID-19 Real Estate FAQ Guidance here. Visit their COVID-19 Resource Page for more information and resources.
Find more information on “Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery” here
