Victoria lifts ban on onsite auctions amid loosening Covid-19 restrictions

Victoria lifts ban on onsite auctions amid loosening Covid-19 restrictions
Staff reporterMay 10, 2020

On-site real estate auctions will be able to go ahead from Wednesday after Victoria announced on that it would begin loosening restrictions.

Auctions will be limited to 10 people, plus the minimum amount of people required to facilitate the sale and those selling the house.

The same eased restrictions will apply to open for inspections, and real estate agents will be required to take the name and phone number of each visitor to make it easier to contact trace, similar to the recent changes in other states.

On-site auctions have been banned since March, when restrictions began. The lack of auctions has seen buyer activity plummet in Melbourne.

Victoria now joins NSW, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia in announcing the easing of auction bans.

Agents have welcomed the news, but said they wouldn’t be rushing back into in-person auctions en masse.

Most agencies said they weren't in a rush to jump back into onsite auctions especially for properties mid-campaign but were going to shift offline soon.

Real Estate Institute of Victoria President Leah Calnan welcomed the Victorian Government’s decision to allow on-site property auctions and open for inspections to return to in Victoria with restrictions.

Both on-site property auctions and open for inspections will be restricted to 10 people in addition to staff required to facilitate the auction or inspection, the contact details of attendees will also be recorded.

REIV President Leah Calnan said the real estate sector was prepared to take the measures necessary to assist with a safe return to business.

“The real estate sector has adapted extremely well during this pandemic, while restrictions are being lifted, the threat of Coronavirus remains and it is imperative that we continue to run auctions safely and responsibly.” Ms Calnan said.

“The REIV encourages all members to download the COVIDSafe App and implement strong safety protocols as we begin our return to work routines. In addition, the REIV recommends that all individuals attending an open or auction should also download the App, provide contact details to the agent and follow social distancing measures as required.

“Online auctions have worked well over the last few weeks and we encourage members to use this as an additional channel for wider engagement.”

“Having public auctions will inspire increased confidence in our economy, auctioneers across the state are looking forward to getting back to what they do best”.

“We are very excited about auctions coming back, the real estate sector is prepared to do the right thing to ensure auctions and open for inspections are run safely.”

Meanwhile Real Estate Institute of Queensland head Antonia Mercorella told The Courier-Mail she was still seeking clarification from the state government over who exactly was included in its partial easing of restrictions for on-site auctions to 10 people.

“We are currently seeking clarity regarding the composition of the group – does it include or exclude the auctioneer, real estate agent and other support staff required to conduct an auction as well as the property owners?”

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