Our response
As with most of the world at the moment, I think everyone at McCarthy Holden are still in shock at what our lives, both personal and business, have become in a very short space of time.
We are hopeful, we are determined, we are anxious, we are planning, we are cleaning, we are keeping busy and we are trying to proceed with everyone’s best interests in mind.
Our responsibility
McCarthy Holden has a responsibility and duty of care to our staff, our clients and our communities.
This news page outlines some important information about how we will conduct ourselves when visiting a clients home, through to providing insight into how we will progress house sales and manage the hundreds of properties we manage for landlords. As information is coming through daily this will be updated as soon as possible.
Some of us at McCarthy Holden are those at greater risk so have already started working from home – you may notice a smaller number of people in the office, but this is to protect those that need it most. All the decisions that are being made and have been made are guided by Public Health England and we have closely aligned ourselves with the latest government advice and guidance.
With regards to our clients, their health and property, we are continuing as normal at the moment with viewings, negotiations and sales progression, and we are currently very busy. We do expect things will need to change so Skype valuations and viewings are being set up to allow everyone to continue to use our services as best possible. We are also looking at Live chat and Skype consultations with our negotiators or with our sales progressors so communication can be open at all times.
Our request
With anyone who is coming into contact with McCarthy Holden employees – viewers, valuations, office visits – we ask that if you are showing any of the symptoms or are residing with anyone who is self-isolating to please let us know so we can minimise risk.
Whilst we are, as always, delighted to see people, please don’t be offended that we won’t be shaking hands and will be keeping a safe distance. In some cases we may not be able to offer drinks or refreshments as we would normally, but instead we will offer you hand sanitiser and facilities to wash your hands during our time together.
We are also aware that vendors and landlords are worried about even the smallest risk of virus transmission, so when we meet buyers or tenants for viewings we will be providing latex gloves so that things like door knobs, stairs and kitchen equipment are not touched with bare hands. Alcohol wipes and hand sanitisers will be used both in homes and in offices regularly.
Our reply
We will beat this with the rest of the UK by following the governments advice. We will work with everyone to ensure minimum risk. We will help in our communities whenever and wherever possible.
Our future
In the coming weeks, we will be looking to minimise the risk to employees further. Initially this will be through reduced hours or shift rotas and ultimately may need to have all staff working from home in the coming weeks, possibly sooner depending on government directive. That does not mean we are not available to continue our work and we are set up with all communications and technology to continue doing what we do best.
Meanwhile, business is operating as usual and we remain committed to the well-being of our staff and customers at this difficult time.
We wish everyone a safe time over the coming days,weeks or even months, take care of each other and we hope everyone will be back on track and feeling safe before too long.
Samantha Holden
