Your property repair operatives are the face of your housing association or local authority – so how can you ensure they are confident in entering properties during a lockdown?

For Local Authorities and Housing Associations navigating the property maintenance during COVID-19 lockdown can be challenging. We’ve put together some sage advice we have learned and picked up over these past few weeks.

  1. Clear communication with any tenant before entering the property is advantageous. Either by phone or by letter informing your tenant of all the methods you are putting in place to make sure they are kept safe, as well as the property maintenance operative. This is an opportunity to understand if your tenant is worried about your operative entering the property and 
  2. When the operative arrives at the property, perhaps use a visual aid to let the tenant know that you are trying to protect them, by wearing a mask and possibly new protective gloves.
  3. Ensure that the operative tells or shows the tenant that they are sanitising their hands before entering the property.
  4. Whatever area of the home that the operative will be making repairs, use a surface cleaner that will kill viruses and bacteria (the PURA+ Surface Cleaner is alcohol-free, completely natural and kills all enveloped viruses and just needs to be sprayed on the surface for up to 10 hours protection). Ensure your operative communicates to the tenant that the PURA+ spray will keep the surface virus-free for up to 10 hours, unlike bleach, will mean virus or bacteria can immediately start multiplying and reforming.
  5. Some tenants will be worried about the safety of the operative, be sure to show them when leaving the property that they are discarding all gloves used during the visit in their own van.
  6. Do not eat or drink while at the tenants’ property.

We are living in strange times, but the maintenance of your property stock is vital in these times. Make sure you are properly prepared to keep your operatives and your tenants safe.

If you would like to discuss any challenges you are facing in your business with the cleaning of surfaces and the safety of your operatives, please feel free to call us on 0800 0922 923 or email on sales@maxam.co.uk