Q My husband and I are in our 70s. We were in the process of moving home to be nearer family who currently live about four hours’ drive away.
Initially, we wanted to rent and signed up for a tenancy in the middle of March. We had a buyer for our house, and had booked a removals firm for early April, knowing that the sale would not be completed until a month or so after we had moved to the rented property.
Our removals company closed down once lockdown was announced, and has refunded our money. We have had to put the sale on hold, as we had not exchanged contracts, but we know the buyers still want to buy our house.
We are now a bit stuck. We are living in the house we still own but still paying rent on the other property, although the landlords have reduced what we have to pay. The first time we visited the rental property we took a few things with us and those are still there.
We are not sure whether our move would be considered essential, and who decides whether it is? The main thing stopping us actually moving is finding removers. The British Association of Removers has advised companies to close down. At our age we cannot hire a van and do it ourselves.
Until social distancing is relaxed we cannot see how removers are going to be able to work, as moving wardrobes, chests of drawers and so on is always going to take two people. We cannot see how we can move in the foreseeable future, but are stuck paying rent for a property we cannot live in.
AR
A The main thing stopping you moving is that the government has said that “homebuyers and renters should, where possible, delay moving to a new house while measures are in place to fight coronavirus”.
To be permitted to move – and so not be subject to the new emergency enforcement powers given to the police – the move would have to be unavoidable because you have not been able to agree a new date for moving. So even if you could find a removal firm willing to help, you shouldn’t go ahead with it because it is not unavoidable.
In addition, the government has said that people who have two or more homes “must remain in their primary residence” which, in your case, is the home you own. The government has also made it clear that “essential travel does not include visits to second homes, camp sites, caravan parks or similar, whether for isolation purposes or holidays”.
So it looks like you will not be able to move until the lockdown ends. In the meantime, you should keep in touch with your landlord. It sounds as though they are behaving reasonably, but if they do try to charge full rent before you are allowed to move in it may be worth pointing out that there is no wear and tear while you are not living there.
