What to Do When Workmen Are in Your House

Lockdown measures to fight the spread of coronavirus are existence eased over the coming months. But what if you need a tradesperson or engineer to enter your habitation?

Where does it leave you if you're about to accept work done on your home, you're halfway through a renovation or y'all're faced with an emergency such equally a boiler breakdown?

Nosotros talk you lot through the points you should consider and how you tin protect your household.

Keep upwards to date with all the latest news and advice from Which? on the coronavirus outbreak.

Commodity get-go published: 23 March 2020. Last updated: 15 May 2020

How could you limit the risks of using a trader or engineer?

The current government advice is for everyone in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland to to practice social distancing at all times while in public.

This means limiting face-to-face contact with people who aren't in your household and maintaining a two-metre distance between one another. And in the limited situations where this isn't possible you need to use not-medical grade PPE.

The government is advising that you should wear a face-covering in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible and y'all come into contact with others you practise not normally encounter, for example if a tradesperson is required to enter your habitation.

The almost important question to ask yourself is, is the work essential or can it wait? The best mode to limit the take chances is to postpone the work if it is non-essential.

No work can exist carried out by any tradesperson or engineer who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild.

As a get-go pace, find out whether your trader or engineer tin can offer some services from a distance, either by speaking to you over the phone or using technology. Some of the Which? Trusted Traders nosotros've been speaking to reported that they were using tools such as FaceTime, Google Hangouts and Skype to provide quotes or site visits.

But if a trader or engineer needs to visit your home, there are steps y'all can take to protect yourself and avoid spreading the virus. You lot should:

• Go on your altitude from whatever visitors and avert physical contact.
• Launder your easily regularly with soap and water for at to the lowest degree 20 seconds, or use hand sanitiser.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed easily.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, and then throw the tissue in a bin and wash your easily.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the habitation such as door handles, lite switches  and your kettle.

If someone in the household is vulnerable or has coronavirus symptoms

People who are over 70, pregnant or who have underlying health conditions are nearly at take a chance, and then you'll need to be peculiarly careful if anyone in your household fits these criteria.

The government has stated that no work can be carried out in whatsoever household which is isolating or where an private is being shielded, unless it is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household, such as emergency plumbing or repairs, and where the tradesperson is willing to do then.

If you do demand to let a trader or engineer in, allow them know in advance virtually any vulnerable people in your abode so they can take advisable measures.

Y'all may also demand to further isolate more than vulnerable people in your home. For example, they may need to stay in a different room, separated from the rest of the household, while work is underway.

If yous or anyone in the household already has symptoms of coronavirus, you need to follow authorities guidelines on self-isolation.

If the piece of work has to get ahead, yous must warn any traders or engineers who are due to visit and then that they can assess the risks and behave out the piece of work safely if they practise come up to your home.

What should yous ask your trader or engineer before they start work?

It's not just you lot who needs to have steps to avoid spreading COVID-19. Your trader or engineer is responsible for health and safety when working on site.

Before their visit, detect out what measures they volition be taking to protect you lot and themselves. Larger companies will probably have a statement online setting out what steps they are taking. You may need to contact smaller companies for more than data.

Some of the key things you should await out for are:

• Use of PPE (personal protective equipment) such as disposable gloves and face masks.
• A commitment to regular handwashing or use of hand sanitiser.
• Policies for monitoring the health of anyone who would exist visiting your home, and screening customers earlier visits.

If yous don't experience your trader or engineer is taking appropriate measures, particularly if yous have ill or vulnerable people in your household, you may demand to decline entry to your abode.

What to practice if you have piece of work booked?

If you take a project booked in the next few months that hasn't started still, consider:

• Whether y'all still want or need to go ahead with the current schedule. For example, does something urgently need fixing, or will planning permission expire in the next 12 weeks? Could you delay the projection until later in the twelvemonth instead?
• If you could effectively do social distancing while the piece of work is carried out and whether you're happy with the protective measures your trader will accept.
• Practice you accept a contract or any written agreement for works to exist carried out? If you don't withal have an agreement in writing, it should requite you lot more flexibility to make changes or cancel the work.
• If y'all've already signed a contract, are y'all yet within the xiv-day cooling off period, which would let you to cancel without any penalties if yous want to practice and then?
• If the xiv days have passed, what does the contract say about irresolute the schedule of work?

Talk to your trader, engineer or utility visitor as soon every bit possible about how y'all want to proceed. Even if your contract doesn't seem to let flexibility, at that place's likely to be more scope to negotiate and come to a compromise in the current circumstances.

If you plan to become ahead, check whether the trader is willing and able to do the work. Hash out what will happen if one of you lot becomes ill earlier the project start date, or if stricter social distancing measures are introduced.

Find out more about how to resolve disputes and your rights when getting work done on your home.

What should you practice if you're halfway through a renovation?

The key things to consider and do if your projection is already in progress are:

• Is it essential for the piece of work to be completed at the moment? For example, if you lot only have half a kitchen installed you may struggle to prepare meals if you have to self-isolate, and then it might exist important to finish the project.
• Consider whether you lot tin effectively practise social distancing during the remainder of the work.
• Talk to your trader as soon as possible about whether it's practical or possible to continue, how they will comport this out safely and whether you're happy with these measures.
• Cheque what your contract says about changing the schedule of work or what would happen if you decide to cancel.

Comport in mind that y'all may have to be more than flexible about the schedule for the project if information technology continues. Traders working on your project may become ill, need to self-isolate or may have to piece of work around childcare responsibilities now the schools are closed. Delays won't necessarily entitle you to abolish the contract.

If y'all decide to cancel for whatsoever reason, find out whether you would incur any financial penalties.

If your trader decides non to finish the projection, you may take the right to abolish without penalty, depending on the circumstances and the terms of your contract.

Expert communication with your trader will be primal to managing the state of affairs. Arroyo any discussions calmly and try to work out a compromise.

If yous need to find a trustworthy trader, search for Which? Trusted Traders in your area.

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Source: https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/05/coronavirus-engineer-tradesperson-builder-into-my-home/

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