The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) has today welcomed the news from the Minister of Housing, the Hon. Dr
Megan Woods, that private viewings, by appointment, of homes for sale or rental properties can take place under Alert
Level 3 – with details and limits to be worked through.
We will be sending detailed guidelines to our members as soon as we receive further information from the Government.
The ability to buy, sell and move into homes is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders and our
economy. The ability for purchasers to view a property for sale is critical to the sales and property management
processes.
Bindi Norwell, Chief Executive at REINZ says: “We’re delighted to receive the news that private viewings can take place
under Alert Level 3, and we look forward to receiving the further details we need over the coming days in order to make
this happen. We are also pleased that the Government has listened to industry feedback.
“This means that the thousands of people around the country who have been in limbo over the past few weeks can now move
forward with their property transactions," points out Norwell.
“For those individuals who have been unable to conduct pre-settlement inspections during the Level 4 lockdown period and
have been paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in bridging finance each week, today’s announcement will come as a big
relief,” continues Norwell.
“Additionally, for the hundreds of tenants around the country who have been waiting to inspect a rental property so they
have somewhere to live this will be much welcomed news. The same is true for landlords all across the country who have
empty rental properties are desperate for some income in order to pay their mortgage,” concludes Norwell.
Real estate services are critical to the New Zealand economy and account for approximately 13% of New Zealand's gross
domestic product (GDP). As New Zealand navigates the effects of COVID-19, the professionally managed facilitation of
property sales and purchases will be key to confidence and wellbeing and will help minimise the impact of the pandemic
on our economy.