Hello and welcome to the latest Conquering Corona – our guide for agents to get through these challenging times.

Please let us have any appropriate advice you wish to share with the industry: please email it to [email protected].

Let’s start with the welter of statements from the government in the past 24 hours – all key for the agency industry.

These have all been reported elsewhere so…

– for information on the Chancellor’s package for the self-employed, click here

– the lengthy and definitive guidance on moving house is here

– and a summary of the latest rental sector information can be found here.

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There’s a lot of lettings-focussed information today.

Here’s a really useful FAQ page from the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, aimed at agents and other lettings professionals, as well as tenants.

It includes guidance on pre-tenancy, mid-tenancy and post-tenancy issues, looks at issues including check-in and check-out during a lockdown, and how disputes may be resolved during a period of social distancing or self-isolation.

A spokesman says: “We’re an impartial organisation and do not believe it is our place to give any advice beyond which is clearly stated by the government or law. It’s ultimately up to the parties in the tenancy agreement as to how they wish to proceed in any given situation. We hope the information we are providing on this web page provides a helpful foundation.”

You can check it out here.

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Next up is government guidance on a £500 million hardship fund which will provide council tax relief for vulnerable people and households who are renting.

It will go to local authorities to manage, and will be open to individuals and households – this may be useful information for agents and landlords to pass to clients they feel may benefit. 

Although the introduction of the measure has been triggered by the Coronavirus crisis it is not directly related to tenants suffering from the virus. 

You can find more details here.

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The new UK Short Term Accommodation Association, a trade body, is waiving membership fees for the next two months for some existing corporate members and all new members.

More details here. 

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That’s it for today: have as good a weekend as possible in the circumstances, and we’ll return on Monday with more advice and guidance. Until then…