*PLEASE NOTE* This feature will be updated as and when any advice is formally issued by health officials and the Government.* As part of our duty of care to landlords and tenants alike, please see below for our latest update regarding the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
The recent outbreak of COVID-19 and its arrival in the UK has brought about a wave of uncertainty across a wave of sectors, with calls for the closure of schools and for employees to be able to work remotely from home.
As always, knowing where to seek the best advice and the truth relating the outbreak remains the utmost importance; ensuring that any skewed opinions generated from mass hysteria are bypassed on the way.
As part of our duty of care to our tenants and landlords alike, we’ve put together this feature that will be frequently updated as and when information is given by the Government and NHS.
General information
Symptoms of coronavirus
The symptoms of coronavirus are:
- a cough
- a high temperature
- shortness of breath
But these symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness.
The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu.
How coronavirus is spread
Because it’s a new illness, it is not yet known exactly how coronavirus spreads from person to person.
Similar viruses are spread in cough droplets.
It’s very unlikely it can be spread through things like packages or food.
How to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus
Do
- wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
- always wash your hands when you get home or into work
- use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
- cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
- put used tissues in the bin straight away and wash your hands afterwards
- try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell
Don’t
- do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean
What to do if you think you might have coronavirus
If you think you might have coronavirus or you’ve been in close contact with someone who has it:
- stay at home and avoid close contact with other people
- do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital
- use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do next
The 111 coronavirus service will tell you if you need to continue to stay at home (self-isolate) or if you need medical help.
Anyone experiencing temperatures of 37.8 degrees and above are advised to stay at home for at least 24 hours until after this temperature has subsided.
Information for landlords and tenants
Please note – If you are concerned about dealing with all this correctly we are happy to help! Find out more on this link to our property management in Manchester services page.
Landlords with tenanted properties
Communication with tenants is more vital than ever, particularly if they are self-isolating and as a result, are off work. As part of our property management, we are encouraging all tenants to carry out the advice listed by the Government and the NHS, whilst to inform us at the earliest opportunity of any self-isolation cases. This may prevent us from carrying out visits to your property or inspections and as such, these will need to be re-scheduled on a case by case basis. We are also taking extra pre-caution on viewings to ensure both prospective tenants and members of the Abode team are as safe as possible.
Landlords with vacant properties
At present, we are carrying out viewings as normal to vacant properties. We will continue to do so in this manner unless advised otherwise by Government and health officials.
Landlords with HMOs
We are currently liaising with local councils and official authorities with regards to visiting HMO properties to carry out the necessary weekly inspections and checks. We appreciate our landlords wish to remain compliant and have these checks undertaken and we will continue to do so.
We are distributing information posters to each HMO property informing tenants of what to do and what not to do in the event of needing to put themselves into self-isolation. If this occurs, we may have to refrain from visiting the property until such a time that any self-isolation periods have surpassed. We will be striving to actively communicate with our HMO tenants at this time.
Tenants
It is important to ensure that you keep your property secure and on-top of hygienic matters. In the event you or another member of your tenancy has to self-isolate, we ask that you please inform us at the earliest opportunity to work with both yourself and your landlord.
Tenants in co-living house shares
We will soon be ensuring the following document is present and viewable in communal areas across all our managed co-living house share properties:
If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0161 883 2525.
